Little Snowflake Likes The Rose
by Winter1112
Summary: Weiss Schnee is the cool, confident leader of Team WCBY, but one thing can always manage to get her to lose her cool, and that is mention of the handsome Huntsman Rouvin Rose. But when she finally meets her longtime crush, she is about to learn that there is more to a person than what is printed in a magazine. Co-Authored with Akiruo02
1. Chapter 1

Weiss Schnee casts a haste glyph on her teammate Blake Belladonna, as she blocks a beowolf's incoming claws. Blake then swings her weapon, Gambol Shroud, rapidly creating waves of slashes slicing through the Grimm like it was made of paper. Yang Xiao Long then charges into an incoming Ursa Major, punching it in the stomach, while Cinder Fall uses her fire based semblance to assist Yang, firing several powerful globes of fire at the Ursa Major, rocking it back with each blast. Yang takes advantage and lands a tremendous double handed blow with her Ember Celica, blasting the Grimm into a tree, where it shook for a moment, then laid still. Currently, Team WCBY was on a search and destroy mission in Forever Fall Forest. There had been reports of a Grimm nest set too close to the school. It wasn't anything major or dangerous, so the school had sent in one of their most prominent first year teams to clear it.

They were finally nearing the end. Two more Grimm stand in front of them. The Bumbleby duo move swiftly to take on the last Ursa Major as Fire and Ice take on the less dangerous Alpha Beowolf. Moving swiftly, Weiss darts out in front of Cinder, drawing the Alpha Beowolf's attention as Cinder follows her lead swiftly. Using a gravity glyph, Weiss leaps over the Alpha's head just as Cinder rams both her blades, now ablaze deeply into the Grimm's exposed throat. With a swift cross of her swords, Cinder decapitates the Alpha. The Grimm's head flies off and lands a couple of meters away from where Cinder lands in a crouch. The body itself falls on the ground with a thump, slowly disappearing like the others. Weiss approached Cinder and gives her a sword to sword high-five as Yang and Blake finish off their own target with a flourish.

"Well, that was a thing." Yang said as Ember Celica withdraws back into bracelets.

Cinder simply chuckled as she extinguished Ash and Char and replaced them back on her magnetic holder on the small of her back. "A simple enough thing really…. Even JNPR should have been able to deal with this…."

"Even with Jaune in tow" Blake deadpanned as she sheathed Gambol Shroud and replaced it on her back.

Replacing Myrtenaster on her hip, Weiss gets a slight look of disgust on her face at the mere mention of Jaune, "If he doesn't get the hint that I am not interested soon, they will be lacking a Jaune Arc."

With that, their mission was complete. The team makes their way back to Beacon and make their verbal report to Professor Goodwitch. After completing their written after action report, which most of it was written by Weiss since she was team leader, they headed to the cafeteria to eat. As they ate, JNPR had joined their table. It was always interesting and fun when they hang out. Just as they were discussing their recent mission, a delivery boy approaches Weiss.

"Excuse me, Miss Schnee…" he started. Weiss turns to him, one delicate eyebrow raised.

"Yes? May I help you?" Weiss answered.

"Your package from RT Huntsman and Huntress Monthly has arrived ma'am." he said as he handed Weiss a small package. Weiss' expression brightens grabbing the package and signing the received paper, allowing the delivery boy to leave.

"What's that?" Jaune asked.

"Judging from how fast Weiss is opening that package…" Cinder started. "…its RT's newly released magazine…"

"Oh…you mean the one with…" Jaune was cut off with Weiss raising a poster tube from the package.

"YES!" Weiss cheered, all but jumping in joy. "It's here! It's here!"

"What is it Weiss?" Blake asked, already knowing what the poster was.

Weiss turns to her team still holding the tube near her. She smiles and proudly slides out and unrolls the poster, revealing the image to her companions. The image was of one of Remnant's scythe wielders. Red rose petals flow throughout the scene, as man in black and red stands proud, his weapon in full form held by his left hand, while the blade was struck to the ground. His red cloak swaying with the wind as his striking silver eyes stare straight into the camera. Right at the bottom corner of the poster was a signature of the huntsman. 'Rouvin Rose'

"Is that…" Pyrrha said before Nora cuts in.

"The limited edition poster of Rouvin 'Grimm-Reaper' Rose!" she shouted with sparkling eyes.

Weiss nodded. "With his autograph!" Weiss then squealed. Everyone in the group knew how much Weiss adored the Red Reaper. Her team had been unfortunate enough to get a fangirl for a leader. Their room was filled with the Red Reaper's posters, magazines that have articles about him, heck even those back when he was still a student in Beacon. Weiss had even asked about him from the professors. She even has a picture of him under the bunk bed of her partner.

Yang struggled to hold her laughter. Weiss was always the perfect little princess in her family. Seeing her get excited about a poster, no scratch that, about a huntsman was nothing new to her or their team. They've experienced firsthand how much their white-haired leader is willing to do just to meet her idol. Weiss then rolled the poster back up carefully, since she doesn't want it to be damaged, before replacing it back in its protective tube. She then proceeded to get the magazine. Seeing the front cover, Weiss squealed again. Striking silver eyes, black and red hair and an adorable smile, all the while staring straight at her and only her. Yang had commented once that if Weiss was to ever actually meet her crush in person, she'd probably faint on the spot.

Weiss' little crush is something Yang has seen evolve throughout the years. She'd gone to Signal Academy with her, in which her reason was that because the silver-eyed boy had walked through its halls. It was the same reason for Beacon Academy. Weiss was eager to follow him. Yang watched Weiss quickly flip through the pages of the magazine, looking for the article.

"Here it is!" Weiss said. She then proceeded to read through it. The interview was pretty simple. Questions were basic from what he does in his down time to which mission was the hardest. There were some personal questions that received the normal vague answers. There were two questions that caught Weiss' attention. The first one was 'As an active huntsman, you have been traveling all over Remnant. Have you ever thought of settling down?' This was then followed by an intriguing answer. 'It's fun traveling around and it sure is worth it helping other people. I haven't actually thought of it until now, but I am planning on stay in Vale for a while. I may even watch the Vytal Festival as well. I'm sort of curious how much my little sister has improved.' Weiss squeals for a third time today. She has just found out that The Rouvin Rose was going to visit Vale and watch the tournament.

"What is she squealing about now?" Cinder asked as she looks up from her scroll.

"Dunno…" Yang answered as Blake shrugged and continued reading her book. Yang then leans forward to Weiss, reading what she had. Yang's eyes went wide. "WHAT?!" she said, causing the rest of the group to look at her.

"Yang?" Blake asked, actually looking up from the book in her hand. "…what is it?"

"Weiss' crush is visiting Vale, and he's going to watch the Vytal Festival!" Yang answered excitedly.

"Okay…That explains Weiss' reaction, but that doesn't explain yours…" Cinder said as she tucked her scroll away.

"He's visiting Vale and plans on watching the tournament. That means I get a chance to tease Weiss all the more!" Yang said. Which is partially true. The other, much more important half was that she had just found out her big brother's visiting and wants to see her.

"You brute!" Weiss hissed as she stepped on Yang's foot. "Go get your own copy!"

"OW!" Yang shouted. "Not like you don't like it. It also says that he's single and lonely." she then smirked. "You got that princess? Your prince is SINGLE and oh so LONELY." Yang teased as she clasped her hands together and looks upward as if star struck. Weiss blushes a deep red and simply hides her face behind the magazine.

The second question is the one that really got her attention 'Are you dating anyone? Or are you interested in anyone' to which the scythe wielder answered. 'Nope, still single and lonely.' Weiss can't help but get her hopes up as she keeps staring at that simple enough question. Soon enough she was lost in her fantasy of The Rouvin Rose himself sweeping her off her feet with declarations of love and eternal affection.

Nora stops telling another one of her outrageous tall tales to snicker at Weiss. "Jeez Cinder, didya hit Weissy with some fire dust or something? She looks ready to melt!"

Cinder makes a small show of checking the sleeves of her combat dress as a small smile crosses her lips. "….I'm afraid not Nora…. Maybe she's dreaming of wedding bells in her future?"

Blake doesn't even look up from her book. "If she's thinking of that, she may want to go back to the dorm room so she can have some privacy."

"Alright, Team!" Weiss said standing up. "We're going to start training!" She said excitedly, pointedly ignoring the comments from her partner and teammate.

"Yeah!" Yang agreed excitedly. Everyone turns to Yang, surprised that the blonde brawler had agreed with Weiss. She just looked at them and shrugged. "What? We get to show off in front of Weiss' crush."

"Weiss, stating she wants to train more, Yang agreeing..." Cinder said as she raised a hand dramatically to her forehead. "What has the world turn into?!"

Blake smirked, knowing perfectly well why. Yang was just as equally excited as Weiss. It had been a long time since Yang and her brother have seen each other. Blake only knows because she had accidentally walked in on Yang while she was on a video call with her brother. Blake immediately recognized the man she was talking to, thanks to Weiss' posters and magazines. An excited Yang then explained to her their relationship once the video call was over. Yang Xiao Long and Rouvin Rose were actually half siblings. Rouvin's mother had died while on a mission while he was still a toddler, and Yang's mother then helped their dad raise him. After several years of dancing around their feelings, they finally got married and had Yang soon afterwards.

Yang had gone on to state that she looks up to her brother and would want to be someone just like him, a huntress that wandered the world helping anyone in need. She had a similar reason as Weiss for the sudden training, but for a completely different reason. Yang had actually spent time with him as she grew up, Weiss however had only read and heard about him. And even now, Yang still hasn't told anyone about her brother other than Blake. She respected Rouvin enough to guard his privacy, and she also didn't want to be bombarded with millions of questions surrounding her brother.

The next two days, team WCBY and team JNPR trained and sparred with each other extensively. Everyone was improving even Jaune, much to Cinder's surprise. Though they've also notice how Pyrrha has started acting a little distant from Jaune. It wasn't really that noticeable but it's there if you've spend time with them long enough. A missed block here, a misstep while protecting his flank there. But it was when Cinder rushed Jaune, her dress and eyes glowing as her blades erupted into flames that was the most telling. Weiss, Yang and Blake pause for a moment and watch as Jaune is pressed hard by the burning swordswoman, all the while Pyrrha stood back and watch, a look of sadness crossing her features for a brief moment. Jaune was soon sent flying as Cinder disarms him handily and kicks him across the practice arena. Even Cinder noticed at that point, before simply shrugging and extinguishing her blades, declaring that she was done for the day.

As the day draws to an end, everyone has started to get ready to bed. Yang crashed on to her bunk, while Blake sat on hers as she opened the book she has been reading. Cinder meanwhile, was sitting at her desk and was doing maintenance on her swords. She currently had Char dismantled and was cleaning out the exhaust port while Ash was still laying in its various pieces. Meanwhile Weiss was once again reading the article in her new magazine, determined to commit it to memory.

"Everyone excited for tomorrow?" Yang asked as she sits down cross legged on her bunk.

"Of course..." Cinder answered, not looking up as she gently begins to reassemble both blades. "I get to finally see my sister and parents again after two years..."

"My parents have informed me that Winter will be coming along with them." Weiss said, not tearing her attention away from her magazine. "I can't wait for you guys to meet them." Yang then leans down to Blake.

"What about you Blakey?" Yang asked. "Its Family Day tomorrow, will your parents be coming?"

Blake looked up from her book to Yang and gave her a small smile. "They told me they will."

"That's great, everyone's parents will be coming, except for mine…" the other three members looked at Yang, concern evident on all their features.

"Yang…" Weiss started as she finally puts the magazine to the side. "…are you sure you're okay?"

"Mm?" Yang turns to their young leader. "Of course I'm fine. Mom and Dad had already told me ahead of time they couldn't make it. So I'm leaning on my Uncle Qrow and my brother to come." Yang smirked. "And I've been meaning to let you guys meet my brother. I'm betting he's the best sibling among our team's siblings."

"What? No that can't possibly be! Winter has to be the best! She's a huntress, a specialist in the Atlesian military and the SDC heiress." Weiss argued. "Your brother can't possibly top that."

"Sure, he can't top the heiress part, but he's even more awesome in so many other ways!" Yang fired back. The two then proceed to argue about who has the best other sibling. Weiss threw out reasons as to why Winter was the best and Yang threw out her own reasons, as Cinder and Blake simply shared a long suffering look with each other over their partner's latest arguments. In the end, it was decided to simply wait and meet Weiss and Yang's siblings tomorrow, where they'd let the other members of their team decide, along with JNPR. Weiss can't help but think as she lays down, that tomorrow was going to be life changing somehow. With a smile, she blows her picture of Rouvin a kiss before closing her eyes, sleep swiftly finding her.

Morning found the various members of team WCBY in various different states. Cinder was uncharacteristically excited, as she had already gotten a message from her father stating that they were already waiting for her in the courtyard below. Weiss was still grumbling as she awoke slowly, doing her best to not start shrieking at her partner, knowing how important this was to her. Cinder didn't even wait for her teammates as they slowly awoke and started their days, but dashed out the door while still attaching Char and Ash to their holder.

"Well, she certainly is excited this morning." Weiss deadpans as she yawns.

"It's been two years since she's seen her entire family Weiss. Can you really blame her? I don't even think she slept." Blake responds idly as she walks out of the bathroom, her black ribbon already firmly in place as she hangs her towel up carefully to dry.

Yang smirks as she watches Blake walk over to their shared closet. "Well well well, if it isn't the bellabootie in all its glory! Now that's a great way to wake up!" Blake simply rolled her eyes in response as she pulled her normal outfit out of the closet.

"Yang Xiao Long! Stop fantasizing about Blake and get ready! Family day is only for one day, and I will not miss a chance to see mine just because you are being a dolt and lying about!" Weiss all but commanded as she reached for her own towel and toiletries.

"Hold on Weiss, I'm watching another beautiful moment right now." Yang answers, her smirk replaced by a wide genuine smile as she motions out the dorm window. Blake and Weiss move to the window just in time to witness a now sobbing Cinder leap into the arms of a man easily as tall as their friend Yatsuhashi and cling to him as he engulfs her petite form in a hug. The giant was flanked by a shorter older woman with long burning red hair and a much young midnight haired girl, who was also shedding tears as she pulled on Cinder's dress to get her attention. Even Blake was quickly moved to tears as their teammate finally releases the man and gathers the younger girl into her arms while they both get hugged by the redhead. All three young women can't help but aww as the reunited family move on to the fairground that was prepared for today's festivities.

Sniffling, Yang wipes her eyes as she lowers her scroll. "Now THAT was a thing!"

"Kind of weird seeing Cinder acting like that." Blake replies warmly, wiping her own tears away.

Even Weiss found herself cleaning her face of tears as she glares up at Yang. "Did you really record that Yang?!"

"I sure did Weissy! I figured Cinder might want it considering her family is always on the road. A nice memory for her to hang on to, you know?"

Blake smiles, and then gives the blonde a quick kiss on the cheek, which in turn causes her to fall off her bunk with a squeal. With a mischievous wink, Blake returns to getting ready. "That may have just earned you a first date Dragon."

"Yes!" Yang pumps her fists in victory into the air as she lays flat on the floor.

"Enough lazing about you brute! Get up and get ready!" Weiss starts shrieking, causing the other two girls to wince and start moving again.

After almost two hours, the three finally manage to make their way to the courtyard. Beacon Family Day was held once every two years, and was timed with the Vytal Festival. It allowed students to spend time with their parents after the long period of being away from home. It was also a great opportunity for the students actually participating to build up their confidence for the upcoming tournament.

The courtyard has food stalls surrounding it, along with games and entertainment stalls geared both for the older students as well as any younger siblings they may have. By the fountain they could see parents hugging their kids, as well as family and friends greeting each other. Weiss pushed herself through the crowd, standing on her tip toes as she scans the place, trying to find a very familiar head of white hair. Yang and Blake were on either side of Weiss as they too look for their families. Blake turned just in time to bump into someone. Shaking her head to clear her vision, she was confronted by a tall man with red hair in a backwards windswept way, with two very familiar horns on his head. He wearing a black and red suit and was staring down at her with a wide smile. Blake broke into a smile of her own as she reached out and hugged him tightly.

"Adam!" she cried out happily, causing both Yang and Weiss to stop and turn back around to them. "I thought you couldn't make it." she said as she pulled back from the hug.

Adam chuckled. "Good to see you Blake." he said. "Did you really think I'd miss a chance to see my little sister?"

"But mom and dad told me you were busy with the White Fang back in Menagerie!"

"Well, I fixed it yesterday so I made the trip here." he answered as he looked towards a now curious looking Yang and Weiss. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Blake smiles and turns to Weiss and Yang. "Guys…this is Adam Taurus. My big brother." Blake said.

"Helloooo!" Yang singsonged as she waved. "Yang Xiao Long! It's nice to finally meet you Adam."

"Weiss Schnee. It's a pleasure to meet you." Weiss said as she curtsies.

"Nice to meet you guys. And I'm her adoptive brother, just in case you were wondering." He gestures in the direction of the main tent. "Should we head over to where our parents are?" he asked. "I also saw Weiss' parents there."

"Okay, that would be great." Blake said.

"I would love to." Weiss said.

"I'm going to pass…" Yang said. The three look at her a bit confused. "I've meet Weiss' family already and I would love to meet yours Blake, but I plan on meeting my brother first." she explained as she scratches the back of her neck.

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked.

Yang nodded. "Yup. I'm sure."

"Okay…Meet us there then" Blake said. Yang smiled and nodded. She then runs the opposite way to look for her brother.

Together, Weiss, Blake and Adam head off to their parents. Weiss and Adam chat amiably as they walk along, and Weiss soon found herself a bit envious of Blake's big brother. She learned that he took his duties with the faunus rights group the White Fang very seriously. He continues to speak with great pride as he describes the great strides the group has finally begun to make in faunus equality, thanks in no small part to the generous support from the SDC. Weiss was still blushing from Adam's praise of her family and their contributions to the struggle when they encounter the giant of a man from earlier, Cinder's hand engulfed in his as he chats with Professor Goodwitch.

"Hey Cinder! Here you are!" Weiss exclaims as she runs up to her blushing partner.

"Hey Weiss… Sorry for taking off so fast, Daddy told me they were already here and I…" Cinder is suddenly cut off by a finger to her lips by her partner, whose wide genuine smile makes her relax.

"There is absolutely no need to apologize to us Cinder. Two years is a long time to not see one's family. None of us were upset in the least. Now, I take it this is your father?" Cinder's father turned to look down at Weiss, a look of curiosity on his features. Cinder on the other hand is blushing harder than ever as she looks up at her father. Weiss was amazed at the sudden change in her quiet, confident teammate. In the almost year they have been partners, Weiss cannot recall even a single moment when Cinder had even blushed or shown much emotion past her half smiles, or scowls which were almost exclusively reserved for Jaune's latest attempts at wooing Weiss. She suddenly found herself looking eye to eye with the giant as his right hand extends forward.

"Alexander Garibaldi. You must be my little ember's partner Weiss?" he asks, as Cinder covers her face with both hands in obvious embarrassment.

"Yes sir I am. Weiss Schnee." Normally Weiss would curtsy in response, but her father had told her that whenever offered a hand, to always accept as a courtesy. Shaking his hand twice, Weiss was amazed at how her hand simply seemed to disappear into his. With a chuckle, the older man introduces himself to first Blake, then her brother Adam as Weiss moves next to her partner, nudging her gently in the ribs to get her attention.

"Daddy's little ember huh?" Weiss couldn't help herself, since her teammates loved to pick on her for her own family nickname of snowflake.

"I am never going to hear the end of this, am I?" Cinder responds, her voice muffled behind her hands.

"Nope!" Weiss responds as she watches the redhead from earlier approach with the younger girl, who has an ice cream cone in hand. With a smile, the older woman walks up to Weiss and curtsies, much to the fencer's relief.

"Weiss Schnee? It's a pleasure to meet you at last. Cinder speaks very highly of you. I'm her mother Katie, and this is her sister Terra." Cinder's sister spares a moment from eating her ice cream to simply wave before returning to devouring her treat.

Weiss returns the curtsy as her smile widens over Cinder's growing embarrassment. "A pleasure ma'am. My mother often speaks fondly of a Kathryn Fall. Would that be you ma'am?" Katie smiles in pleasure as she answers calmly.

"If your mother is Adaliz Schnee, then yes I would be. Is she here? I would love to see her again!" Weiss nods her head as she motions towards the larger tent in the distance.

"Yes ma'am, my parents assured me they shall be in attendance today. Adam was guiding us to my parents as well as his."

Poking at her husband, who is currently speaking with Blake and Adam, she gives him an impish look. "Gossip later you small mountain, Cinder's teammates want to see their families too."

"Yeah yeah yeah. I can see Jacques from here, looks like Ghira is with him." Excusing himself, Alexander leads the way, his giant size easily clearing a path for the shorter people following behind. Weiss and Cinder walked arm in arm, both young women having grown more than comfortable in their shared silence over the past year.

Meanwhile, Yang continued to walk aimlessly through the fairgrounds looking for her brother. Just as she walked past a baker's stand she noticed the sweet scent of roses. Yang's lips twitched to a smile and slowly approached the stand. There seated in one of the chairs was a man in a red cloak. His back was facing her. Taking a deep breathe she smirks and says.

"What's a grown man doing inside a bakery?" she asked. The man turns to her. Silver meets lilac. Her big brother, Rouvin Rose, was really there right in front of her. He had a cookie in his mouth, three more in one hand and a tall glass of milk in the other. He smiled at her as he swallowed the cookie he was eating.

"Yang!" he called out as he stood up. He was a full foot taller than her, his cloak falling down around him, covering his body. Yang ran towards him ready to give him a big hug. But just when she was about to close in he disappeared into a cloud of rose petals.

"Agh!" Yang winced as she runs into the counter-top. "I forgot about that stupid semblance of yours." she said in a huff as she turns around to see him laughing at her.

"Well, your bear hugs can be pretty intense you know. And I do enjoy being able to breathe" he said, a look of mirth on his features before downing another one of the cookies in his hand. Thinking her brother distracted, Yang again attempted to hug him, only to fail once more as he simply dashed back out of arm's reach at the last second. They played like that for a couple more minutes before Rouvin himself appeared and sweeps her into a tight hug. "How I miss this warm little dragon." he said to her.

"I miss you too you cookie snarfing dork!" she replied as she returned the hug, breathing in the scent of roses that always seemed to identify her big brother. After a few minutes, Yang looked up at her brother's face as she smiles, "Uncle Qrow here?"

Rouvin chuckles as he finally breaks the hug. "Nah, he heard a rumor that the entire Schnee family was gonna be here and said something about there not being enough alcohol in the world to put up with them. So I came with Zwei instead."

Yang chuckled as she finally released her big brother. "That may not be a bad thing then Rouvin. After all, I'm on a team being led by Weiss Schnee."

"Yeah, I am so not going to repeat what he said when mom told him that." Rouvin replies as he pops yet another cookie in his mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing it. "Dad actually had to chase him out the house before it suddenly collapsed or something."

"Yeah, I can actually see that happening if he's pissed or drunk enough" Yang chuckled as she starts to look around once more. "Hey, you said you came with Zwei. Where is he?" She can't help but get a little irritated as Rouvin simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno. He started following a little girl with an ice cream cone. I'm not that worried about him." Rouvin shrugged as he munches on yet another cookie.

"Where are you hiding those things Rouvin?!" Yang exclaims as she watches him suddenly take a sip from the cup of milk she thought he left on the counter. Rouvin simply winked at her as he started walking off.

"So, you gonna introduce me to your team finally? Or am I still a deep dark secret?"

Yang simply sighs as she follows behind him. "Yeah, I got a bet to win. Too bad Weiss' hair is already white. But I'm still pretty sure you're gonna surprise the schneet out of her!" Rouvin groans as he takes his much abused scroll out of his pocket.

"Please, not the puns! Dad is bad enough with his dad jokes. Even mom was ready to kill him last night." Yang just chuckles evilly as she catches up to her big brother.

"What's wrong big brother? It hasn't been that Xiao Long since you've had to put up with my punny self!"

"For the love of all the cookies on Remnant, please stop now Yangarang."

"Never Rouvaloo. Never! I will continue to entertain you with my clever puns and jokes until the end of time!"

Weiss was in heaven. Mr. Garibaldi had easily led her to her family, who had of course greeted both her as well as her teammates warmly. Her mother had especially gushed over an embarrassed Cinder, while her mother talked excitedly with both her's and Blake's mothers. Her father on the other hand, was deep in conversation with the other fathers as well as Blake's older brother as they discussed the upcoming vote in Vale concerning full rights for the faunus. But Weiss' attention was entirely taken up by only the most absolutely adorable corgi that had wandered up behind them.

"Who's the most adorable puppy ever? Why you are! Yes you are! If no one comes by to claim you, you're going home with me! Oh yes you are! Because you are just so small and adorable!" Weiss gushes as the dog lays on its back, enjoying all the attention it was getting. Cinder's little sister giggled as she keeps eating her ice cream, occasionally putting it down close enough for the dog to take a few enthusiastic licks. Blake meanwhile was eyeing the dog nervously as she stayed on the other side of her much taller brother, who after noticing the animal simply shook his head and returned to the conversation at hand.

"Hey Weiss! I see you found my brother's dog!" Yang calls out as she waves to everyone assembled. Weiss smiles widely as she picks the adorable dog up and stands back up. Terra stands up with her, and lets the dog lick at her ice cream again while she giggles.

"He is so adorable Yang! Aren't you? Yes you are! You brother obviously has excellent tastes in animals!" She suddenly hears a lighthearted chuckle and looks for the source. Behind her friend, she can see what looks to be the hood of a familiar looking cloak. Where has she seen it before?

"That part is a bit debatable Weiss!" Blake calls out from her hiding place behind Adam, as Cinder simply rolls her eyes before blushing red once more as her mother starts telling yet another embarrassing story about her precious little ember.

Suddenly, the person behind Yang pulls his hood back, revealing his handsome, rugged features. But it was his eyes that that Weiss focused in on. Eyes like pools of liquid silver. Eyes Weiss dreams about every night as they gaze into hers as his light, masculine voice whispers sweet nothings to her. She can feel the heat rising in her face. Hell, she can feel her entire body breaking out in a deep blush as she clung to his dog like a lifeline. She finally breaks eye contact with him when Yang waves a hand across her field of vision.

"Hey! Remnant to Weissy! Hello? Is anyone still at home?"

"Yang… Yang! Tha That's but he…" Weiss manages to blurt out as he flashes a smile at the flustered young woman.

"Everyone! Let me introduce you to my absolutely awesome older brother Rouvin Rose! Rouvin, this is Weiss Schnee, otherwise known as the amazing fish girl!" Yang teases as Weiss' mouth simply won't stop moving on its own. She knows everyone is staring at her, but she simply can't take her eyes off the man of her dreams, as well as several her racier fantasies. Oh who was she kidding? All of her tawdry fantasies involved him! Was he walking towards her? Oh dust! Oh Oum! He is walking towards her! Weiss "The fish girl" Schnee! Wait, she isn't a faunus! Oh sweet merciful Oum he's holding his hand out to her! He wants to shake her hand! What do I do? Fortunately for her, the amount of blood running to her head is simply too much, and she crumples to the ground, saving her from embarrassing herself any further.

"And she's down! And I believe two people owe me fifty Lien!" Yang crows as Weiss' mother shrieks and rushes over to check on her daughter. The rest of the gathered simply smile and shake their heads, as Weiss' crush on Rouvin was well known to them all.

However, Rouvin Rose can't help but keep looking at the poor young collapsed woman on the ground as he feels a bit guilty. That, and a little voice in the back of his mind simply couldn't resist but think to himself that the short, petite sister of Winter Schnee was rather beautiful. And that was a constant thought that would plague him for the remainder of the day.


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss wakes up slowly, feeling strangely comfortable. Fully expecting to see the sterile white walls of the infirmary, she is pleasantly surprised to find herself laying on her own bed in her dorm room. Granted, she has no idea how she arrived there, and was having some issues in remember what happened, but she was none the less grateful that someone had at least had the courtesy of returning her to her own quarters. Opening her eyes slowly, she was greeted by her sister Winter and her mother Adaliz.

"Well, welcome back my little Snowflake. Have a nice nap?" Adaliz smiles as she looks down at her younger daughter, relief evident in her features. "Now, can you tell me the last thing you remember?"

The last thing Weiss can remember was that she was playing with a small adorable corgi that had wandered up to them. She could remember Yang calling her, saying something about finding her brother's dog. Then Yang introducing…

Weiss shot up out of bed. Winter already there to support her. "Weiss…" Winter said as she placed her hands on Weiss' shoulders. "…slow down. You fainted remember."

"But..but..ya-Yang…" Weiss blubbered out, still in a state of shock and disbelief.

"Breathe Weiss, breathe." Adaliz said. Weiss followed her and slowed her breathing. "That's it…"

"Now what do you remember?" Winter asked, a look of concern on her features.

"Yang…a puppy and…" Weiss paused. "Oh my Oum. I met Rouvin Rose…" Weiss realized. Winter smiled and nodded. "It wasn't a dream. Please tell me it wasn't a dream"

"Weiss…it wa-" Winter was cut off with the door opening. The three ladies turn to see who entered, only to be greeted by a silver eyed man.

"Hey Winter, is she awake yet?" Rouvin asked as he looked inside the room. He sees Weiss sitting and smiles. "Oh good she's awake…" Weiss stared at him, still in shock. Her mouth opening and closing by itself. She didn't even notice Yang arriving behind him until she spoke.

"Winter, you still owe me fifty lien." Yang said, a smirk on her face. With a sigh, Winter reached into a pocket and handed her a fifty lien card, which Yang pocketed with a grin.

"A pleasure doing business with you Winter. Now I just need to track down your little brother, he owes me big!"

"I must say Yang, you were correct about another thing. Weiss does indeed do an excellent fish imitation." Winter commented as she looks at the blonde. "It is certainly a good thing though that no one can really stay mad at Rouvin for very long, otherwise mother would have already had words for him." Weiss simply blinked as she finally realized what was going on. Winter, Whitley and Yang had made a bet about her reaction to meeting Rouvin. Weiss starts seeing red as she climbs out of her bed, grabbing Myrtenaster, which was laying right next to her. Yang's eyes widen upon seeing the look of rage on Weiss' face. She jumped up and started to make her way to Yang, who yelped before running and hiding behind Rouvin.

Rouvin, a bit disoriented from all the sudden movements, reached down and grabbed Zwei and held him up between himself and Weiss. "Don't kill me!" he said. "Please accept our humble offering of this cute and adorable dog!"

"Oh so Spare us great Fish Face Weiss!" Yang said, only aggravating Weiss even more. But she is still torn and more than a little conflicted. After all, he's Rouvin Rose! The same Rouvin Rose that she has dreamed of for years now. And he has the cutest, most adorable dog known to man or faunus kind. But he was protecting Yang. Yang needed to be punished. But how can she punish Yang when both Rouvin and Zwei are making the most adorable sad puppy faces she has ever seen! All she wanted to do was just throw herself at them both and pet and cuddle them and spoil them because they are just so adorable and they are going to live with her forever and ever and... Fuck! Winter's right! No one can stay mad with Rouvin Rose! He's simply too adorable to even be angry with for very long.

"Weiss…" Winter begins as she slowly stands, one hand reaching slowly for the saber sitting on her own hip. "Weiss, please don't do anything you're going to regret later on little sister." Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she simply sheathed her rapier back on her hip before reaching up and taking Zwei, who was wagging his little stub of a tail happily. Turning on her heels, she walked calmly back to her bunk and sits back down as she begins to pet and cuddle the adorable little corgi.

Looking up to glare once more at the two siblings, Weiss opens her mouth only to be cut off by a still nervous Rouvin, "About Zwei, you know I was only kidding right? Weiss?"

"Your offering is accepted." Weiss simply responds as she turns her attention back to Zwei, determined to not lose control in front of Rouvin twice in one day. Rouvin turns to look at Yang, who simply shrugs as she holds the fifty lien card to Rouvin.

"Here Rouvaloo, use this to go buy a new dog."

Slumping down in defeat, Rouvin accepts the card as tears form in his eyes. "But but but."

"No buts, but Weiss' butt Rouvin." Yang snickers as she watches Rouvin's cheek sudden turn red. "Now c'mon. Let's go find Cinder and make fun of her some more before she lights us on fire."

"We have very different definitions of fun Yangarang!" Rouvin whined as they walk out the door, both the Schnee sisters staring at his retreating form.

"Are you certain that is the real Rouvin Rose, Winter? He doesn't seem anything like I've read about."

"I am currently asking myself the same thing little sister. He is acting nothing like the huntsman I have worked with before." Winter answers, a mild look of surprise on her features. "But that is his dog. I have seen him before with Rouvin. And he is simply precious! Oh yes he is! Yes he is!" Adaliz smiles and simply records both her precious daughters fawning over the adorable little corgi as she tries not to laugh at their antics.

The rest of the day passes without incident, with Weiss simply staying on her bed and chatting with her mother and sister about anything and everything. Blake was the first of her teammates to return, her parents and Adam in tow coming to look at the dorm room. Adam and Ghira were beside themselves with laughter as both Kali and Blake retreated rapidly from an excited Zwei by launching themselves on top of Yang's bunk hissing and spitting loudly. Kali was rescued by her still chuckling husband as Adam gives his little sister one last hug before they depart. Blake stays on Yang's bunk, glaring daggers at the corgi, who stays sitting on the floor as he looks up to the young woman, his tail wagging idly.

Cinder and her mother and sister were next. Cinder's father had to excuse himself to speak with Headmaster Ozpin, and Katie had insisted on seeing where Cinder and her team lived. A delighted Terra played with Zwei as Katie chatted with Adaliz and Cinder joined her little sister. When the older women realized the time, they all excused themselves as Katie had to drag a wailing Terra away from Zwei and her sister. Cinder herself was in tears, and promptly excused herself to go sit on the roof, asking to be left alone. Blake and Weiss look at each other in concern, but they know better to disturb Cinder for a while at least. Her temper was as well-known as Weiss' around Beacon, and there was now a substantial betting pool on when Cinder would finally light Jaune aflame over his repeated attempts to date Weiss.

It was past midnight when Yang finally returned to the dorm room. Weiss was apparently asleep, Zwei cuddled into her arms as Blake quietly opened the window for Yang, allowing the brawler entry into the room. However, both girls were shocked when they turned to see themselves facing the tip of Myrtenaster, a deep scowl on the fencer's face as she kept her blanket wrapped around her slim figure with her free hand.

"He..Hey Weissy! I figured you would be asleep by now!" Yang was keeping herself behind Blake, who was looking nervously at Zwei even as she kept herself between Weiss and Yang.

"You had the gall to make bets with my siblings and didn't think I would be angry with you Yang?!" Weiss was glaring at the brawler, even as she spun the dust chamber to blue dust, preparing to freeze the brawler to the closest object in the room.

Blake surprised both young women when she reached up and carefully grabbed the rapier's blade, turning it down gently. "I'm calling in the favor you owe me Weiss. No freezing or killing Yang. She still owes me one hell of a date."

"Ugh! Fine Blake!" Weiss sheathes her blade and places it next to the nightstand. "You win this time Xiao Long. Next time you will not be so fortunate!" The bumbleby pair watch as Weiss settles herself back down in bed, both arms thrown back around Zwei, who buried himself deeply into the fencer's embrace. Relieved, Yang gives Blake a quick peck on the cheek before retreating to the relative safety of her bunk, while a blushing Blake stayed up a bit longer reading the new Ninjas of Love novel Adam had slipped her during their last hug.

Cinder finally returned a short while later. To Blake's and Cinder's surprise both, Weiss grabbed Cinder before she could climb up into her own bunk and settled her down on the other side of Zwei, who was gently snoring. Blake saw the look of gratitude on Cinder's face just before she turned off her small reading light, plunging the room into darkness.

The next morning, Weiss was still upset with Yang, while Cinder was still upset over her family leaving once more. The four young women dressed quickly and quietly before departing their shared dorm room. Weiss, Yang and Blake walked in a tense silence while Cinder vanished once more, promising to meet them at class. Entering Grimm Studies, the three young women quickly took their seats, being joined by Cinder right before the bell rang. Team WCBY was seated on the second row from the front, team JNPR sitting directly behind them. Yang and Nora immediately resume their arm wrestling contest, while Jaune still tried to get Weiss' attention. Oddly, instead of being seated next to her partner, Pyrrha was seated on the other side of Nora, while Ren was quietly sitting next to the annoying blonde.

Expecting Professor Port to come in and start their school day with another one of his outrageous story, instead what greeted them promptly at the start of the bell was none other than Professor Glynda Goodwitch. The other students started whispering at each other asking if the combat instructor for Beacon had entered the wrong room.

"Do you think something happened?" Cinder asked quietly. Weiss and the others were concerned for their friend and teammate. Her eyes were still red rimmed from crying and she was not looking her best as she always did.

"Professor Port might have talked too much and broke his jaw or something." Yang joked as she took out her scroll and started to fiddle with it.

Blake shrugged. "Or it could an announcement about the tournament." Weiss watched as the cat faunus leaned over and gave Yang a nod of approval before turning back to Professor Goodwitch.

"Either way it must be important if Professor Goodwitch is here." Weiss commented. Glynda cleared her throat and everyone quieted down. Making sure that everyone's attention was on her, she walked over and confiscated Yang's scroll before she begins to speak.

"I know everyone is wondering why I am here." Glynda started. "Well, it is to inform you that due to medical reasons, Professor Port will not be able to teach his class for at least the next two to three weeks."

"No way!" Yang said, doing her best to hide her irritation at her scroll still being in the blonde teacher's hand. "Did he really break his jaw?"

"Technically its Tetanus…"Rouvin said appearing suddenly beside Yang in a swirl of rose petals. "He talked a little bit too much yesterday and locked his jaw." he explained. Yang looked at him surprised. She was sure he'd be on his way somewhere by now.

"Rouvin?!" she said. He gave her one of his cheeky smiles before Glynda spoke.

"Mr. Rose." she called. Rouvin turning to her as he visibly winced at her tone. "I thought I told you to wait until I called you into the classroom."

Rouvin groans from the tongue lashing. "But Glynda…I got bored…" He whined. "And you always take too long…"

Weiss can feel her eye start twitching from Rouvin's whining. She simply cannot believe that this… this… that this is the same Rouvin Rose that she idolized for so many years now. Feeling a hand settle lightly on her own, she looks to see Cinder giving her one of her little half smiles as she motions with her head back to the front.

"As I was saying." Glynda continued as she motioned for Rouvin to sit behind Port's desk. "Professor Port is on medical leave, and thus you will be having a substitute teacher for this subject." She then turns to Rouvin, who was once again standing behind her, his scythe in hand with a chicken stack on its tip, while Zwei jumped rather high into the air trying to grab it.

"Ehm…" Rouvin flinched as he looks at Glynda, who is leveling one of her best glares at him. He quickly collapses his weapon, making the chicken fall and allowing Zwei to run off with it. Rouvin then proceeded to act as innocent as possible, garnering a few scattered bits of laughter from the class. Weiss huffs a bit until she notices Zwei lay down at her feet, to which she smiles gently at.

Glynda shook her head and sighs. "Mr. Rose will be your substitute teacher for the next few weeks until Professor Port recovers." Rouvin waved at the class and smiled before she continues. "Irregardless of whether he is a substitute or not, Mr. Rose is to be respected and obeyed at all times, and he holds the full weight and power of any other Professor at this school. I trust I have made myself clear to all of you?" Glynda soon left after, shaking her head at the fact that her former student hadn't really changed altogether that much.

"So..ahh Hi!" Rouvin started. "I'm Rouvin Rose, and I'll be your substitute for…" he paused as he looked at a sheet of paper on the desk. "…Grimm studies…Yeah…"

Rouvin then proceeded to talking about Grimm. Weiss was listened and hanged on to every word he said. She took notes of everything until he mentioned something about weapons. Eventually his topic shifted from Grimm to constructing weapons and what all was involved in the forging in his own weapon. Weiss groans and decided to just read her school book. This continued on until suddenly Nora's hand shoots up. "Hey Professor Rose, got any good huntsman stories?"

Weiss's head pokes back up from behind her school book, where she had been seriously considering the last few years of her life instead of reading about the migration patterns of Goliaths. Finally, something to prove how masterful of a huntsman he really was.

"Well," Rouvin begins as he clears his throat. "I do have one that happened back when Yang was younger. It all started during a hunt I was on with our mom through the woods by our house." The huntsman continues his story, Weiss suddenly hanging on his every word once more. It was full of all the daring do and legendary thrills she had come to adore from his many magazine articles. Just as he reached the violent climax, where he was forced to battle his opponent, a short but vicious Beowolf in the middle of a small lake, Yang begins to boo loudly, breaking the mood.

"Boo! You're so full of shit Rouvin! Mom had to help you track down Zwei just to give him a bath, and he kicked your ass until you finally had to beg dad to help you!"

Weiss groans as her head impacts the desk. Not that anyone would have heard it over the sudden roars of laughter echoing throughout the classroom. It was official. Weiss Schnee has a crush on a monumental dork.

"Hey! In my defense, Zwei is a trained huntsdog. And I was 14 back then." Rouvin said quickly, trying to repair the damage done even as he glares at Yang. But the younger sister had her older brother against the ropes, and she took advantage of it fully as she moved in for the knockout punch.

"He was still a puppy! You got your ass beat by a six month old puppy!" Yang shoots back quickly. The rest of the class simply roared even louder. Even Cinder was doubled over in her seat clutching her stomach while Blake had fallen out of hers, their peals of laughter easily distinguishable from all the rest.

Weiss on the other hand was very disappointed right now. She was in love with one of Remnant's most feared and well respected huntsman. But the person in front of her was nothing more than a weapon crazed, cookie devouring, adorable dog owning, clumsy dork. And she simply couldn't take it anymore. Packing up her things, she simply got up and left the class, not noticing two pairs of eyes following her out. One a bright clear silver, and the other a deep fiery amber.


	3. Chapter 3

Cinder was more than a little concerned. In the entire time that team WCBY has been at Beacon, Weiss has never once walked out of class. It simply wasn't her style. She was brilliant, studious and meticulous. Even her notes were color coded by date and order of importance for dust's sake! But then again, seeing that her crush was nothing like what was described may have something to do with it. Sending one last message on her scroll, she waved it at the lock on the dorm room, hoping that this is where Weiss ran off to.

Yang matches glares with her older brother as the classroom empties out quickly, Nora of course having to be dragged out by both Ren as well as Pyrrha. The entire class had caught the sudden change in mood between the siblings, and were suddenly desperate to be anywhere but in Professor Port's classroom. Rouvin Rose was still a legend in Beacon after all, and Yang Xiao Long had more than earned a reputation after what she had done to Cardin Winchester earlier in the year. Even Zwei had left, leaving the Rose-Xiao Long siblings alone. Rouvin stood tall however, arms crossed across his chest as Yang stands across from him, cracking her knuckles as licks of flame begin to cross her lustrous golden hair. Shining silver meets blood red as they both open their mouths to speak.

"Weiss, are you here?" Cinder calls out as she slowly enters the darkened room, her amber eyes glowing softly as she keeps her semblance primed. Weiss' temper is well known in Beacon, and she didn't want to become the latest victim of being frozen solid. She feels as Zwei trots past her legs, but doesn't jump, her focus now on the lump hiding beneath the white blanket on Weiss' bunk. She watches as a whining Zwei sits on the floor, looking up at the lump, which slowly lifts up high enough to allow the corgi to enter. Cinder watches with some amusement as the adorable dog jumps through the opening and it quickly closes itself again. Cinder leaves all the lights off as she sits down on her partner's bed gently. Taking her shoes and socks off with a content sigh, she settles down to wait. Weiss needed time to gather her thoughts, and Cinder wasn't going to rush her.

Rouvin strikes first. "What the hell was that all about, Yang?! Dust damn it I'm already socially awkward enough! Are you trying to run me off on my first day?!" Yang pauses for a moment. Rouvin was swearing, that was not a good sign. He was good and pissed off. But damn it so is she! She is sick and tired of her brother acting like someone he isn't! Her brother is a great guy! Yeah, he's a dork, yeah he had an unusual love for cookies, and talking about weapons and mechanical stuff would bore most people to death, but dust damn it that is who her brother really was! Not this, this, this fake! And Weiss was hurt. Cool, calm, collected, unflappable unless it has something to do with her team, her partner or her crush Weiss Schnee was hurt. Yang had nothing but respect for Weiss. Yeah, she went to Signal and then to Beacon because she wanted to follow Rouvin, but she still worked her ass off to get to where she was now. And Yang would be damned if she saw her friend and team leader get hurt anymore.

Checking her scroll as she waits, Cinder smiles as she sees the image on the screen of Emerald and Mercury waving at her from their seats on an airship. They were finally on their way to Beacon for the Vytal festival. So focused was she on the image and trying not to start crying once more that she missed the pair of arms wrapping around her athletic frame. She leans her head against Weiss' shoulder as she feels Weiss shift herself around to better comfort her partner. _'Typical, I'm here to cheer her up and she's the one trying to cheer me up.'_ Weiss was the only person on the team that knew Cinder was a lesbian. Cinder had been terrified when Weiss had found out of course, fearing that her new partner would judge her rather harshly. But instead Weiss had reassured her that there was nothing wrong with it, that she was free to love whomever she wants. Emerald may be the love of Cinder's life, but Weiss was her best friend. And she needed to help her friend now. Steeling herself, she sits back up as she gently untangles herself from Weiss' arms. "Weiss, we need to talk. About Rouvin."

"Shut up Rouvin!" Yang shoots back as her semblance flares brighter. "You are such a fucking idiot! You were yourself yesterday the whole day during the festival, but today you're trying to act all cool and special?! Give it a rest!" Yang was trembling now, she was so furious at her brother. Seeing him square his shoulders as his eyes flash in anger simply added fuel to her internal flames. If she had to beat the crap out of him she would! She is sick and tired of Huntsman Rouvin Rose; she wanted her adorkable brother back! "And the worst part is you're acting like the kind of people you've claimed to hate all your life! You've let your fame go to your head, and you hurt Weiss! She actually likes you a whole hell of a lot, and instead of being yourself so she can see the real Rouvin Rose, you keep playing a role that doesn't suit you Rouvin!" This makes Rouvin pause, and Yang could see that she had finally gotten through to her stubborn older brother.

Weiss was still silent, which Cinder took as a good sign. "Weiss, I understand that meeting him in the flesh and seeing how he really is is a lot to take in. He's supposed to be this big fearless hunter of Grimm, and it turns out that he's human like the rest of us." She watches as Weiss gathers the little corgi into her lap and starts petting him. Cinder smiles as the adorable little ball of fluff gives her an opening. "Look at that, how many people can honestly say they've hijacked the great Rouvin Rose's dog? Hmm?" Finally, she gets a small smile out of her. "Weiss, you've had a crush on him since you were what? Ten? Give him a chance. Get to know him. The real him. Not the one in the magazines."

"Weiss likes me?" Yang has to resist the urge to thump her brother in the forehead like their mother does when they are thinking of doing something stupid. She watches as Rouvin sits on the edge of Port's desk, his face betraying the deep thoughts he was having. With a sigh, Yang powers down her semblance and walks over to her brother, sitting on the desk next to him. But before she says anything, she watches as he snorts in bitterness. "She probably just likes the great huntsman Rouvin Rose. The second she gets to know the real me, she'll run just like every other woman I've ever let into my life." Yang can't help but give her brother a hug, without shattering his rib cage. Yang hates to see her big brother sad like this. She hates seeing his normal happy smiling face give way, exposing the sad and lonely young man beneath it. But then a moment of clarity comes over her, and she faces her big brother with a wide smile on her face.

"It was a silly crush Cinder. I had my expectations set entirely too high for one." Weiss sniffles as she continues to pet Zwei in her lap. "I mean, he's the great Rouvin Rose. The defender of the weak and powerless from the Grimm. And I'm just Weiss Schnee. I'm a spoiled princess who idolizes a tall, handsome guy who owns an adorable dog, eats cookies, has a strange fascination for his rather impressive weapon, and he is so much more handsome than his pictures make him appear to be and so tall, and he was so freaking adorable yesterday when he was protecting his sister and himself that all I wanted to do was hold him to my chest and cuddle him forever." Cinder smiles slowly as she looks at her partner in the eyes, an I told you so look clear as day even in the darkened room. "He is so much more than what the magazines say isn't he?"

"She likes me? Like likes me likes me?" Rouvin was a bit shocked. All his life he had been saddled with names like genius, prodigy, two time Vytal festival champion, and so many others. It was getting old to be honest. And he freely admits that he had pumped her brother and father almost mercilessly for information about her. "Heck, I'm just a weapon loving, cute dog owning, cooking snarfing dork sis. She's Weiss Schnee! She's rich, she's beautiful, she's a professional singer, and her grades are higher than mine ever were. Did I mention she's beautiful? Because she is. She's so short and petite and she carries herself like a real princess. And she loves Zwei, which is a huge plus and Zwei likes her and…." Rouvin's voice trails off as he looks at the smirk on Yang's face. That same I told you so smirk that their dad has. "Are you sure I stand a chance sis?"

Cinder's smile never leaves her face as she moves around to sit next to Weiss. "It sounds to me like someone needs to build up a bit of courage and maybe talk to Mister Tall, Handsome and Dorky. Now smile!" Cinder presses herself against Weiss, who holds up a happy looking Zwei between them as she snaps a picture to send back to Emerald. Before she pushes send, she adds in a little heart emoji and the sentence 'Can't wait for you to get here Em!' Both girls shift around on the bed a bit more to sit comfortably side by side, with Weiss leaning her head against Cinder's shoulder as they both wiggle their toes and giggle. "I think we should head to Vale and get some manis and pedis done! Have a partner's afternoon before Emerald and Mercury get here." Cinder is relieved to hear her best friend's next words.

"That sounds absolutely delightful Cinder! And I simply can't wait to meet Emerald!" Weiss was once again grateful for having such a wonderful partner. And she was once again feeling that familiar feeling of eagerness when it comes to Rouvin Rose, except now it was tinged with a strange feeling of curiosity. She was more determined than ever to learn even more about Rouvin Rose. But first, she owed her best friend a manicure and a pedicure. And a Schnee always pays their debts.

"Rouvaloo, trust me when I tell you this, you stand more than a fighting chance with the princess. She has been crazy about you since she was ten. So, what are you going to do about it?" Yang was throwing down the gauntlet as it were. She knows her brother well enough to know he would never back down from a challenge, and Weiss Schnee would indeed be a challenge. But one thing Yang prided herself on was her matchmaking skills. And she just knew deep down that the princess would be perfect for her dork of a brother. They just needed a bit of a push in the right direction is all. And Yang Xiao Long was perfect for pushing. Her grin widens into a smile as she sees the fire enter her brother's eyes as he stands up straight.

"You're absolutely right Yangarang! This isn't the time to quit now! I swear on my mother's famous double chocolate chip cookie recipe I shall win the heart of the princess!" Rouvin Rose has never backed down from a challenge, and he wasn't about to stop now. He had to be honest with himself; he genuinely liked the younger Schnee. And Zwei really did like the petite snow haired princess. But through all his sudden bravado, he suddenly realized one very important fact. He had no idea how to even woo a woman. His shoulders slumping in defeat, he looks over at Yang knowing his next question would break the floodgates of her sense of humor. "Do you think you could help me out sis? I have no idea what to do." He winces as his sister's laughter echoes through the empty classroom, but he was still no less determined. After all, he really was starting to like a certain snow haired fencer. A lot lot.

After changing out of their uniforms into their normal attire, Cinder in one of her deep red dust infused mini dresses and Weiss into her normal combat skirt and bolero jacket, the partners walked calmly down to the airship docks arm in arm, Zwei barking and running ahead of them in his excitement. Weiss was well aware of the rumors going around about them, but instead of reacting to them in her normal angry manner, she simply let them spread. She was not about to jeopardize Cinder's privacy to save a little bit of face. She was startled out of her thoughts by Cinder, who giggles as she nudges Weiss gently. "Penny for your thoughts Snowflake?"

Weiss didn't miss a beat as a smile forms on her lips. "Well Little Ember, I was wondering how large the betting pool is on when we declare ourselves lovers."

"Sorry Weiss, I prefer my women a bit more tomboyish than Princessy. If it makes you feel any better, Mercury thinks you're gorgeous." Cinder laughs as she relays the message.

Weiss does her best to look indignant but fails miserably as she starts laughing herself. "Between Nora who is a Queen, and us, who are a pair of Princesses, I don't think Beacon would survive if we were in a relationship! And tell Mercury he is definitely wasting his time pursuing me."

"Thank you Weiss. I appreciate that you let the rumors fly for my sake. And Merc is well aware of your fascination for Rouvin. I already told him to go bark up a different tree."

"Anything for my partner and best friend. Now come along, we have nails that need to be painted and heads to turn Princess Embers!" Weiss responds, a genuine smile on her face.

"You have heads to turn! I'm a claimed woman! But lead on oh Princess Snowflake!" Cinder's response has the desired effect, with the two young women laughing as they board the shuttle bound for Vale. Reaching a pair of empty seats that were side by side, Weiss surprises Cinder by suddenly whistling. Her unspoken question was answered a moment later as Zwei bounds up to the two of them and jumps into Weiss's lap.

"You really have hijacked his dog haven't you?"

"Oh Zwei is just a big baby! Isn't he? Oh yes he is! Yes he is!" Weiss giggles as she pets the adorable corgi in her lap. Noticing a leash that had appeared out of nowhere, along with a small note, she opens it curiously and gasps.

 _Hey Weiss, Zwei has to be on a leash in Vale, so I went ahead and attached it to him for you. He will mind just fine on it, just don't let him see any squirrels. He will take you for a ride. Thanks a lot! Rouvin_

"I guess I have hijacked his dog. Well, it is perfectly fine if you come to live with me Zwei! You would live in the lap of luxury the rest of your life! Oh yes you would!"

"Too bad he isn't part of a package deal with his owner…." Cinder couldn't help herself from teasing her partner just a little bit.

"Indeed. That would be nice wouldn't it?" Weiss answered absentmindedly as she continued to pet Zwei. Cinder kicked herself as she slumps down in her seat.

 _'I really need to think of something to help her!'_

Blake was wondering why the library was abuzz on what should normally be a quiet Monday afternoon. She was on her way back to her normally quiet spot by one of the giant bay windows that let sunlight in until dark when she spotted Yang and Nora. Or rather, Yang and Nora's rear ends as they stood by one of the public computers, while someone in front of them was typing away on the keyboard. _'Should I really see what they're up to? I should, if only to keep them out of trouble.'_ With a resigned sigh, Blake changed her course to hopefully prevent the next apocalypse from occurring.

"That is too damned funny Nora! You heard her, put that in Ren!" Yang was snickering to herself. It had been a while since she had updated the Rouvin Rose facts website she and her mother had started to help protect Rouvin's privacy. And if she was right, a certain white haired princess would be looking for anything she could find on her brother soon enough.

"Must I Yang? Even I would be insulted if I were to find out that a fact like this was all over the internet." Ren replied, a tired tone to his voice.

"Yes Renny! Rouvin being a member of an I Love Sloths fan group must be added! And I thought you loved sloths?" Nora looked down at her boyfriend and frowned. Ren simply sighs as he dutifully added the fact to the small list of other false facts he had somehow been wrangled into entering into the website. He was finally saved by someone clearing their throat behind them.

"And just what is going on here Yang Xiao Long?" Yang winces as she hears her partner's voice behind her. Turning around while keeping the screen blocked, she smiles and waves at the suspicious cat faunus.

"Hey Blakey! Just doing some research on the internet is all!" Pointing a pair of finger guns at Blake, she nudges Nora to get her attention.

"I have a feeling that this isn't just an internet search." Blake deadpanned, her arms crossed across her chest.

Spinning around, Nora grins as she goes shoulder to shoulder with Yang. "Nope! Just research on sloths Blakey! Nothing else to see here! Move along!"

"Sloths…." Blake deadpans as she looks first at her romantic interest then to her apparent partner in crime. Noting that both their eyes have gotten as wide as Nora's beloved pancakes, Blake takes a tentative whiff of the air. _'Why does it suddenly smell like cookies and roses?'_ Hearing a particular crunching sound, she whirls around to find herself starting directly into a red and black hoodie with a burning rose emblem. _'Oh for the love of all the tuna in the oceans!'_

"Hey guys!" Rouvin stands calmly in front of all three women, eating another one of his never ending cookies and looking at the computer screen easily. "Oh hey! I actually am a member of the I love Sloths fan club! And have any of you seen a Lie Ren? I need to talk to him about a paper he turned in while Professor Port was still teaching the class."

Everyone is suddenly deafened by the ear splitting shriek that erupts from Nora at that bit of particular news." Are you really?! Did you get last week's newsletter?! Do you really think there are sloths hiding in the emerald forest?!"

"Of course! Point in fact, I remember seeing a small bed of them not too far from the forest temple! I bet Yangarang here will be more than excited to help you get to them!" That was all the prompting the Queen of the Castle needed. With a whoop of excitement that causes dust to fall from the rafters, Nora takes off at a full sprint, a screaming Yang being pulled behind her as they vanish past the bookcases. With a chuckle, Rouvin looks down to see both Ren and Blake staring at him with a mixture of respect and admiration.

"That was amazing! How…."

"I am wondering that myself. Especially since I doubt that you are actually a member of that particular fan club." Ren adds as he slowly gets out of his seat.

Rouvin smiles as he offers each of them a cookie. "I warned mom and Yang a few years ago to take that website down. I guess my sunny little dragon sister is about to learn the hard way that her big brother has more than one way to get even." Ren and Blake look at each other with a mixture of surprise as they take the offered cookies, before erupting into a bout of laughter that would end up getting the three of them kicked out of the library. But not before Rouvin deleted all the new facts that Yang and Nora had written about him.

After exiting the airship, Weiss and Cinder chose to dally for a while in Vale instead of heading to their favorite nail salon. Which in turn meant that before long, they ended up at their favorite café in the center of Vale, Apollo's, sipping lattes while Zwei drank from a bowl filled with only the finest in mineral water. Both young women were so intent on their conversation which ranged from Emerald's impending arrival to their papers that they had to write up for Rouvin that neither of them saw the midnight haired cannonball until it slammed into Cinder's side, knocking her heavily out of her chair and to the ground with an audible grunt. Weiss rose, concern for her partner etched on her features until she heard the delighted laughter coming from both Cinder as well as it turns out her little sister.

"Well, I was wondering why Terra suddenly darted off like that." Weiss turned only to see Cinder's mother Katie standing by the table, a smile on her beautiful features as she snapped a picture on her scroll of her two daughters as they begin to move their fingers in an odd fashion to each other.

"Oh, Miss Katie! Forgive my poor manners! Please, join us? Is there anything you desire? Coffee? Or a latte? The lattes here are simply divine!" Raising a hand, Katie sat down gracefully, reminding Weiss strongly of her own mother, who is a highborn lady of Atlesian society.

"I will be more than happy to join you Weiss. Especially seeing as how Terra has just given away our little secret to her sister."

"Little secret? But she hasn't said two words.." Weiss was cut off by a high pitched shriek from Cinder, who jumped up in joy to hug her mother tightly.

"You guys are staying?! I can't believe it! That's fantastic news Mama!" Cinder spoke excitedly, all but bouncing around in her delight. "I figured when daddy was ready to retire, you would be returning home to Atlas!"

"Your father desires to stay close to his little ember, as does your sister. And I rather enjoy the climate here. It is a refreshing change from the constant snow and ice, especially with a hereditary semblance such as ours Cinder." Weiss kept looking from Cinder to Katie, a growing look of shock on her features.

 _'Hereditary Semblance? But only the nobility in Atlas make such distinctions! And only the very highest in Atlesian society can boast of such a thing!'_ Before she could continue her thoughts, she was jarred from them by Terra, who was wiggling and moving her fingers. "Ummm excuse me?" Looking at Cinder, she couldn't help but panic as Terra stomps a foot, her eyes beginning to show that same telltale glow as her older sister's.

With a laugh, Cinder comes to her partner's rescue. "She's asking if she can play with Zwei, Weiss. My sister is deaf, so she speaks with sign language." Weiss couldn't help but blush in embarrassment. Cinder's family was normally such a touchy subject that none of the other members of team WCBY would ever broach it. With a smile and a nod, she holds up Zwei's leash, which the adorable little girl takes happily. With a smile, she watches as Terra and Zwei run over to an empty spot nearby, where the younger Fall starts showering the corgi with attention.

"Cinder, will you be so kind as to keep an eye on your sister? I desire greatly to speak with your partner. After all, her mother and I are old friends as well as partners from our own time spent at Atlas Academy."

To Weiss's complete surprise, Cinder curtsies as she answers "Of course Mama. I shall be delighted to spend more time with Terra." Weiss was amazed at the sudden change that comes over her partner of eight months now. Not once has she ever acted with a decorum that would benefit a lady of as high of standing as Weiss or her mother and sister. Sipping at her latte, Weiss watches as Katie orders a latte for herself, as well as hot chocolate for Terra, studying her mannerisms and speech. The straight back as she sits, as well as the reserved mannerisms and proper speech notes an upper class upbringing. But the way she looks at Weiss, as if she was sizing her up as an opponent is the most telling. A small smile suddenly crosses her features as she locks her gaze to Weiss's, and Weiss prepares herself for the verbal joust that she knows is coming.

"Perhaps I should take a moment to reintroduce myself. My name is Katharina Brandstelle, first daughter to the late Lord Gustav Brandstelle and a huntress in excellent standing with the Atlesian Hunter's Guild." Weiss was in complete and total shock. That Cinder's mother spoke in perfect Atlesian was the first blow, with her family name being the second.

"B-Brandstelle?! That means…" She couldn't finish, as she looks from Katie to Cinder repeatedly, almost in a complete panic.

Katie decides to land the knockout blow, but in a manner befitting a lady of only the highest of standing in Atlesian society. "Cinder would be next in line for the throne of Atlas, were the royal family of Brandstelle still in power." Katie can't help but giggle as Weiss once again looks like a fish out of water, her mouth moving up and down as her eyes stare in shock. _'She is so much like Adaliz. Poor thing, she doesn't handle the unexpected very well either.'_

Katie's internal thoughts are interrupted by Cinder, who comes to stand next to her. "Mama, I think you broke my partner again." She simply smiles in response as she politely thanks the server who has returned with their drinks, as well as refills for Cinder and Weiss. Adjusting her long red and white combat dress, as well as her own rapier which hung casually from her hip, she takes a sip of the latte, impressed with the hot beverage.

"She is just like her mother." Turning to her oldest, she levels her best mother look on her as an unladylike smirk crosses her features. "So tell me Cinder, how bad **is** the crush you have on Weiss?" The sudden full body blush that appears on her daughter is all the answer she needs even though Cinder begins to stammer and deny any such thing. Perhaps she does need to add into the betting pool that that Yang Xiao Long girl has started over her daughter and her adorable partner.

Looking back now, even as Cinder begins to shake her partner like a common rag doll to awaken her from her stupor, this is almost the longest that Cinder has ever really resided in any one place other than the last year in Mistral when she attended Sanctum Academy. And she was rather grateful that Cinder and Terra both have grown up as well as they have. After all, she herself chose to travel with her husband as they went from mission to mission, never settling anywhere for more than a year at the most. Thankfully Cinder didn't resent them for her gypsy like childhood, but with a special needs daughter they simply could no longer travel at their leisure anymore. Returning her attention to her latte, her smirk widens into a grin as Weiss still sits as if in a trance, still reeling over the shock of her partner and best friend being a real life princess, all the while Cinder is now begging the adorable younger daughter of Adaliz Schnee to come back to her.

 _'Perhaps living here won't be so boring after all.'_

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Hey Everyone! Winter here! I hope everyone is enjoy this slice of insanity today. The chapter layout is intentional, as it is meant to appear as if two conversations are taking place at the same time! As always, We hope everyone enjoys the next chapter in this White Rose Journey! Feel free to comment, like whatever you choose!


	4. Chapter 4

Cinder Fall is on the verge of tears. Weiss is still catatonic from the news that she is a real life princess, Emerald's airship was delayed by engine troubles, and her mother had come entirely too close to an uncomfortable truth. But Weiss is her first priority now. Half carrying and half dragging her partner, she finally reaches their dorm room and waves her scroll to open it. Relieved to find only Blake sitting on her bed, she finishes pulling her all but comatose best friend in, dropping her unceremoniously onto her bunk with an audible sigh.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting you two to come back quite like that. Is Weiss ok? Or did Rouvin already declare his undying love to her?" Blake deadpans, even with a growing look of amusement on her features. Exasperated, Cinder blows a strand of hair irritably off of her face from where it had come loose during the long trip back from Vale.

"I wish it was that simple. It turns out my family is staying in Vale for a while."

"Well that's a good thing isn't it?" Blake asks, closing her book after marking her page.

"It's a wonderful thing Blake, it really is. I miss them so much and it will be fantastic to see them whenever I wish, but my mother couldn't resist telling Weiss the truth of her side of my family." Blake notices Cinder turn red as she wraps her arms around herself, not bothering to fix her normally impeccable hair.

"What would that be Cinder? Or is it far too sore of a subject still?" Cinder was once again grateful for her friends respecting her privacy, but sooner or later they would find out, and Cinder would rather them learn from her than from anyone else.

"My mother, sister and I are royalty in Atlas. We are members of the royal house of Brandstelle." Cinder withdraws further into herself, expecting the usual derision or scathing comments. Her family had been directly involved in the Great War with the faunus, and with the human's defeat, had fallen out of favor with the people. But Cinder was unprepared for a pair of strong arms to envelop her into a hug, or the next words she hears to be from a faunus of all people.

"Well you've given me absolutely no reason not to trust you Cinder. You've certainly treated me as an equal since Cardin outed me as a faunus. So please, don't think I'm going to judge you just for the choices your idiot of an ancestor made." Cinder couldn't help herself, she started to cry her eyes out again for who knows what time in so many days now. She was once again grateful for having made such wonderful friends since she's come to Beacon. Blake simply held her tightly as the tears fell unhindered, until she had calmed down enough to speak once more.

"It's why many of us have taken the name of Fall and have left Atlas, because we have fallen. We wish to make up for the evils my Great Grandfather perpetrated during the war. Mama rarely tells anyone of our heritage, but since she and Weiss's mother are such close friends…"

"She figured she would go ahead and tell Weiss herself instead of her mother. I can certainly understand her reasoning. But Cinder?"

"Yes Blake?" Cinder winces, expecting some kind of harsh diatribe now that she has told her story.

"Where is that four legged abomination that you and Weiss adore?"

Cinder's eyes widen in terror as she realizes that she had left her best friend's kidnapped pet in the clutches of her pet crazed little sister. Looking from Blake over to Weiss, who is still in her state of shock, she begins uttering a string of unlady like words that would have done her father proud as she releases herself from Blake's friendly embrace. Dashing to her dresser, she pulls out a clean uniform as well as undergarments before dashing to the closet to grab an overnight bag. "Just tell Weiss that I'll be back in the morning. It's probably going to take that long before I can get Zwei away from Terra and my Daddy."

Blake simply smiles as she watches Cinder rush out the door to try to catch the last shuttle into Vale for the evening. Blake was already well aware of who and what Cinder really was, thanks to her brother and her parents. But they had also told her not to judge the charcoal black haired girl so quickly, and she was glad she had listened. But even she was beginning to wonder about certain things to do with Cinder and Weiss. Shrugging to herself, as it really was none of her business, she returns to reading her book in peace and quiet. A peace and quiet that is shattered over an hour later when Weiss returns to her senses with a shriek.

"Cinder is a dust damned Princess!" So much for that. Blake once again closes her book with a sigh. It was going to be a long damned night.

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Once Weiss finally calms down, aided greatly by the rather hilarious collapse of an exhausted Yang, she buries herself under her blankets with her scroll and a fresh clean notebook. She is determined to learn everything she can about her best friend and her family. What she finds about her family specifically horrifies her. Cinder's great grandfather was the one that initiated the war, when he ordered a small village full of faunus purged from Atlas controlled lands. The faunus had of course retaliated in kind and thus sparked the Great War that ravaged the various kingdoms. ' _This explains why Dr. Oobleck released her from class that day! To us, it's history, but to her it's a mark of shame.'_

Deciding to dig no further out of respect for her best friend and partner, she decided to start digging for anything and everything she could find about Rouvin. After hours of searching and digging through commonly known sites, she had finally stumbled upon one called around one in the morning. Excited because she had found an actual facts sight with information she didn't know about, she stays up for several more hours taking notes and reading all these new and wonderful facts about Rouvin Rose. And then this morning, she put her new plan into action, aided by an excited Cinder, who didn't return to the dorm room until almost six in the morning, Zwei happily in tow.

Weiss was now walking carefully towards Rouvin's class carrying a steaming cup of coffee in both hands as Cinder walked next to her carrying both their schoolbags. They chatted excitedly as they approached his classroom, Cinder still looking at Weiss with a bit of apprehension.

"Are you sure my heritage doesn't bother you Weiss? I can understand…."

"Finish that sentence and I shall douse you in piping hot coffee Cinder! You are my best friend and partner, and I would want no one else to be, ever! Now, come along! This cup is burning me!" Weiss misses the mixed look of appreciation as well as sadness on Cinder's face as she followed her into Professor Port's.

Walking into the classroom, Weiss is surprised to see that Rouvin is leaning against Port's desk, his customary cloak replaced by a red and black hoodie with his burning rose symbol emblazoned on the front. A pair of ripped black skinny jeans and red sneakers completes his rather casual outfit. Walking up to him with a slight blush on her face, Weiss presses the coffee cup into his hands as she starts talking almost a mile a minute.

"I wish to apologize for my behavior in walking out of your class yesterday Mr. Rose. I can assure you that it shall not happen again, and I shall accept any punishment you deem appropriate." Weiss stays standing in front of him, her blush not leaving her cheeks as she hears him start to chuckle. Looking up, she is greeted by a smile so brilliant she feels as if she might melt from it.

"Weiss, call me Rouvin. And it's fine. I think we all got off on the wrong foot." Rouvin takes a sip of his coffee and barely keeps from wincing at the fact that it's black. But Weiss did bring him coffee, which was rather thoughtful of her, so he wasn't going to say anything about it. "Go ahead and take your seat please. As soon as everyone is here, we'll get started." Rouvin can't help but smile as his crush all but skips off happily. Quickly downing the coffee, he pointedly ignores Yang's not so subtle thumbs up as he looks at the assembled class.

"Good morning everyone!' He greets cheerily, even as he gets a chorus of groans and moans in response. Smiling as he watches Zwei settle between Cinder's and Weiss' feet, he continues on. "I feel like I owe everyone in this class a bit of an apology. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Rouvin Rose. Just Rouvin Rose. I'm actually going to ask everyone to stop thinking of me as a legend, or a hero, or anything else but just Rouvin." He pauses as the class whispers among themselves, before a hulking young man with red hair raises his hand. "Yes Mister?"

"Cardin Winchester, Mr. Rose." Rouvin sighs internally as he hears the obvious disdain in the young man's voice. There always has to be one in each class after all, and his own time in Beacon had been plagued by students like him. "So if I understand you correctly, you just want us to pretend you're just a regular old person like us huh?" Looking Yang in the eyes, he smiles and shakes his head, prompting a grin from his younger sister.

"That's correct Mr. Winchester. I'm not here to be a hero to the masses. I'm here to teach you all the best ways to battle the Grimm." Pushing off the desk, Rouvin keeps his gaze locked onto Cardin's. "Tell me Cardin, what kind of weapon do you use?" He sees Weiss groan slightly, but presses on. He may be a weapons dork, but more importantly, he is still a huntsman. And Cardin's attitude is dangerous both to himself as well as others.

"I use a mace with a brown dust crystal set in between the flanges Mr. Rose." Cardin says his name with a sneer, while Rouvin simply looks at him in amusement.

"And how effective are your attacks against say, a Beowolf?"

"I haven't run into a Beowolf that can stand up to me yet." Cardin replies with a cocky sneer on his features. But Rouvin sees his opening and goes for it.

"Well, that's good Cardin. But how effective are you against an Ursa? Or a Death Stalker? Do you have the strength to break through the armor on a Boarbatusk's head? How do you deal with a King Taijitu when it is lunging towards you Cardin?" Rouvin pauses as Cardin's sneer is replaced with a look of confusion. "Well Mr. Winchester? The class is waiting for your answer." Rouvin feels some satisfaction as the young man simply slumps down in his seat sulking before continuing on.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am not here to discuss my daring deeds or acts of bravery. I am daring because I took an oath as a huntsman to defend the people from the Grimm. I am brave because I willingly place my life before the lives of a young faunus mother and her child. Before the lives of an old human couple who have lived their lives, but it still isn't time for them to see Oum yet. I am those things because I am a well prepared huntsman who believes in his mission: The eradication of the Grimm. And to be quite blunt with you Cardin Winchester, if this is something you aren't willing to do, then I suggest you drop out today, so that someone with the conviction to do this job can have the spot you obviously aren't going to take seriously enough to not become a danger to your team or those around you."

The applause from the rest of the class is deafening in its volume and intensity, but Rouvin himself feels no satisfaction in what he has just done. Even though Weiss is looking at him with a bit of a newfound respect and Yang is cheering loudly for her big brother. Holding his hands up for silence, he waits until the class calms back down before continuing on. "Now, the reason why I bring up weapons isn't to give you another long boring lecture over my sweetheart, but to make each and every one of you that much more aware. Honestly, as much as I love Crescent Rose, even I have to admit that she's a bit of overkill against most Grimm. But, that always isn't the case."

Rouvin starts walking around the classroom as the students watch him with rapt attention. "Who here can tell me the weakest spot on a boarbatusk?"

Weiss' hand shoots up faster than anyone else's. "Underneath them Rou… Mr. Rose! Their underbelly is unarmored until they reach a significantly older age."

"Very good Weiss!" Rouvin changes directions, approaching a now blushing Weiss. "Even though a Boarbatusk may have a significant weak spot, it is not in the most opportune of places to reach. And that is where knowledge of your weapons' strengths and weaknesses comes into play. Now, may I see your weapon please Weiss?" he holds his hands out expectantly. Weiss's blush intensifies as she takes Myrtenaster off her hip and places it gently in his hands. Rouvin draws it slowly from its sheathe as he takes the sword in as a whole.

"A multi-action dust rapier. This is an excellent design. The balance is a bit heavy towards the tip. I'm assuming to balance for the revolving dust chamber?" Rouvin waits until a now strawberry red Weiss simply nods before continuing. "A weapon such as this is perfect for stabbing at weak points in a Grimm's armor, as well as quick slashes to unarmored areas on a Grimm's flanks and rear." Rouvin smiles warmly at Weiss as he hands her back her rapier that she simply leaves on the top of the desk as she smiles at him widely. "A weapon such as Myrtenaster has many uses, especially with the inclusion of the dust chambers, making it even more versatile in combat."

The students continue to watch as he approaches Pyrrha next. "And your name young lady?" Pyrrha looks genuinely shocked at the question.

"P..Pyrrha Nikos Mr. Rose" she answers as she looks at him incredulously.

"And may I see your weapon please Pyrrha?" Rouvin asks politely as he once again holds his hands out. A sudden blush starts moving across her features as she hands over Milo, currently in its Xiphos form. To everyone's surprise, Rouvin easily transforms Milo first into its rifle form, sighting down the iron sights, before transforming it further into its spear form.

"An excellent weapon Ms. Nikos. The mechashift inside moves nice and smoothly as it transitions, and a weapon with three different forms is rather rare. The versatility of Milo here is exceptional, allowing Ms. Nikos to handle a variety of situations with grace and I am willing to bet a bit of style." With a wink, Rouvin hands Milo back to Pyrrha before moving on to another student. But Pyrrha doesn't follow along as he continues on with the rest of the class. She simply keeps staring down at Milo, a deep blush across her face. Pyrrha is so lost in her own thoughts that she doesn't hear her name being called out repeatedly until Nora elbows her roughly in the side.

"Uh ummm yes Sir Mr. Rose! Forgive me! I was lost in a bit of thought." Pyrrha recovers quickly, although the blush remains on her face.

"It's alright Pyrrha. Now, as I was saying, I would like for all of you to read the sections on how best to attack a normal Beowolf and write a short report detailing how you would use your weapon to its greatest effectiveness. If no one has any questions, please feel free to speak amongst yourselves until the end of class, but please keep the noise down Yang!"

"Why are you putting me on the spotlight Rouvin?!" Yang cries out in mock shock, one hand over her heart as her other moves to over the top of her forehead.

"Because you're my baby sister, and I know you better than anyone Yangarang!" Rouvin fires back, an impish smile on his features.

"Yangarang?! Holy dust that is the most adorable nickname ever Yangarang! Well, not as adorable a being the Queen of the Castle, but a close second!" Nora starts gushing as Yang flashes her brother a dirty look. Rouvin chuckles as he moves to sit down behind the desk, already starting to munch away at his stash of cookies, not realizing that not one, but two sets of eyes were focused on him. One a light ice blue, the other a brilliant emerald green.

The class ends and everyone passes in their reports. Rouvin sighs as he realizes he may not have thought this through. As a temporary Professor, he now has to check and grade papers. As a huntsman, he has had more than his fair share of paperwork, and he does not enjoy it at all. Sighing as he starts reading, he hears something slam on the desk, making him jump with a yelp. Looking up, he sees Yang's bright red eyes glaring back at him.

"Hey, Yangarang…" he starts nervously. "…need anything?" Yang growled, that was not a good sign. "Okay, I know we talked about it and all but, you know how I am with people."

Yang sighed and calm down. "I'm not mad about that. Besides I figured you were nervous." Rouvin sighs in relief. "You need to relax you know. And I'm mad about the nickname." she said making Rouvin chuckle.

"Do you think that helped give me a little more of a positive view with Weiss?" he asks wistfully. Yang smiled as she turned around and headed to the door. "C'mon Yangarang! Why do you always have to leave me yanging?!"

"I don't know…maybe you just have to find out?" she singsonged as she turns to him and winks before leaving the room. Rouvin simply shakes his head and proceed to read through the reports the students have turned in, stopping to laugh at a simply written one in pink marker that said 'NORA SMASH!'

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Weiss is sitting in the cafeteria on her scroll reading more facts on the website she found during the night and slipping an excited Zwei pieces of bacon wrapped chicken, when Nora flops down across from her, Ren as always in tow. "Whatcha reading Weissy? Some kind of hot and heavy fanfiction about Rouvin? Hmmmm?" The Queen of the Castle starts cackling as a blush crosses Weiss's face.

"A-Absolutely not you dolt! I am simply conducting more in depth research on a rather sensitive subject is all!" Weiss stammers as she feels her face heat up even more, prompting even louder cackles from the Queen of the Castle. Looking to Ren for assistance, she winces as the young ninja of team JNPR simply shrugs in response, more than likely already at his wit's end with the exuberant hammer wielding love of his life. Before she has a chance to put her scroll away, she suddenly finds herself under attack from Nora, who is attempting to grab her scroll away from her.

"HEY!"

"Oh c'mon Weissy! Lemme see! If it isn't anything bad then why are you trying to hide it like Cinder tries so hard to hide the fact that she's a lesbian and a….. OOPS!" Nora clasps both her hands to her mouth in shock from blurting that particular bit of knowledge out loud. Ren simply sighs as Weiss slowly rises to her feet, her embarrassment rapidly turning into cold naked fury. Before she can say a word, she spins around as she hears the clatter of a tray hitting the floor. Cinder is standing right behind her, her hands to her mouth and tears in her eyes as she stares at Nora in shock before spinning around on her heels and running out of the cafeteria at top speed. Without a second's thought, Weiss sprints after her, all the while yelling for her to stop while Zwei follows behind her at a run.

"Smooth Nora, really smooth. Nice way to out her in public like that." Yang responds as she sits down, tray in hand. Blake was next to her, a look of disappointment on her normally impassive features.

"I swear to Oum I didn't mean to! I'm so sorry!" Nora starts bawling right across from them as Ren does his best to calm his partner and girlfriend. "I could care less! She's so adorable and nice and I swear I would break somebody's legs if they actually had a problem with it!" Seeing that he has no other choice, Ren plants a rare public kiss on Nora's cheek, instantly short circuiting her brain.

"Our most sincere apologies. Nora was preoccupied picking on Weiss and had a slip of the tongue." Ren states as he gently lays Nora's head on the table. Nora meanwhile was making a series of quiet meeps as her brain struggles to process the fact that Ren kissed her in public.

"So how did you two figure it out?" Blake asks, her tray full of tuna off to one side and her book sitting in her lap. Ren gulps as he looks between the bumbleby duo. One wrong word would have them both in his face, and as good as he believes himself to be, he knows he wouldn't be able to fend the both of them off while Nora is busy trying to reset. Opting to be completely truthful with the two, he locks eyes with Yang as he opens his mouth to speak.

"Nora and I were having a quiet moment on the roof several weeks ago when we were privy to a personal discussion Cinder was having with her significant other." Ren explains tactfully as he gently strokes his Queen's hair. "We did not mean to overhear anything and chose to remain quiet so as not to cause any embarrassment. Perhaps we should have, considering the damage Nora unintentionally just caused."

Yang sighs heavily as she looks down at her tray. "The damage is already done. Blake and I have been trying to figure out why she hides it too. I guess I better go and preemptively kick Cardin's ass now before he tries his shit on Cinder."

"Just please don't add any more fuel to the rumors that will start now Ren. Yang and I have done our best to squash all the ones already floating around about Cinder and Weiss, and today's bit of drama on top of the massive burn Rouvin inflicted on Cardin may be a bit much." Blake adds, a look of concern on her features.

Yang gets up, leaving her tray on the table as she pulls her scroll out of her pocket. "I'm gonna go help look for Cinder. Blakey you stay here just in case she comes back."

"I can help look just as well as you can Yang!" Blake bristles as a young man and woman in the uniforms of Haven Academy come bearing down on the bumbleby duo. "Now what?"

The shorter of the two, a beautiful young woman with dark tanned skin, short vibrant green hair and blood red eyes that would rival Yang's when her semblance was active stops a respectful distance from them. "Excuse me. We're looking for Cinder Fall. She said to meet her here for lunch."

"I'm afraid there's been a bit of an incident with Cinder. May I know who's asking for her?" Blake answers smoothly, not wanting to give any more information away than necessary, especially to two strangers. She watches as first the girl's, then the taller young man with grey hair behind her body language's changed. The young woman looks concerned as she pulled out an emerald green scroll and the young man looks furious as he started looking around the cafeteria.

"I'm Mercury Black. This is my partner Emerald Sustrai. Cinder's an old friend of ours from Sanctum Academy."

"Dust damn it Cinder! Answer your scroll!" Emerald suddenly yells out as she pushes redial. "Dust damn it! I swear to Oum himself you live to make me worry!"

"Em is Cinder's girlfriend." Mercury answers the unspoken question, as Yang hangs up her own scroll, Emerald starting to panic as she hits redial again on her own.

"Ok, Rouvin is going to go check a couple of spots he said not many know about for her. I know a couple more from when we used to have to go looking for Blakey whenever she wanted some of her precious alone time." Yang stops and takes Emerald's shoulder gently in her free hand. "Want to go help me look for her Emerald?"

"Yes please! Merc, will you call the rest of the team and ABRN? Especially Reese! She can cover a lot of ground with her hoverboard!"

"You got it Em. Go find your runaway flame so you can calm down." Mercury motions silently to the empty seat next to Blake for permission, which she grants with a nod of her head. Blake watches as Yang and Emerald hurry out from the cafeteria, while Mercury busies himself with his own grey and dark blue scroll, and Ren whispers quietly into Nora's ear. Suddenly the silence is broken by a loud guffaw, followed by quite possibly the third most hated voice in all of Beacon, next to Professor Port's and Dr. Oobleck's.

"Awww Cinder Fall's a lint licker? How am I not surprised?" Cardin Winchester's voice suddenly rises above the silence that has fallen over the cafeteria like a wet blanket. Blake and Mercury both start to stand when they suddenly hear a growl behind them. Turning around swiftly, they come face to face with a now angry Nora Valkyrie, who is struggling with Ren to get Magnhild off her back.

"Let me go Ren! I'm gonna do more than just break his legs!"

"Absolutely not Nora! You can't get into any more trouble!"

"We need to stop her Mercury! She'll hurt Cardin over this just because she'll think it'll make things up with Cinder!" Blake yells as she goes flying across the table to tackle Nora, wincing as she slams into Nora's midsection. ' _Dust! It feels like I just hit a brick wall!'_ But the Queen of the Castle was not so easily captured, as she easily shrugs off the three students and bolts after a now screaming Cardin Winchester, Magnhild waving over her head as she bellows in rage.

"At this point, it's best just to allow Nora to tire herself out." Ren states calmly, even as he struggles back to his feet.

"I hope she catches Cardin before that happens then.' Blake deadpans as she rises back to her feet with help from a grinning Mercury.

"I hope she catches him in here. I want to watch the show." Mercury adds as he offers a hand to Ren next.

"Oh she'll catch him. Even the professors don't bother trying to stop her anymore when she gets like this." Ren answers calmly as he rises to his own feet with Mercury's assistance. The three of them sit down and watch as the cafeteria rapidly gets demolished by Nora, as Cardin barely stays one step ahead of her, all three of them amused at the fact that Cardin Winchester screamed like a girl.

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Weiss is at a full out sprint, Zwei still at her heels, as she searches the school room by room, disturbing several classes and even earning a detention from Professor Goodwitch due to interrupting a high speed spar between two fourth years teams. But she simply doesn't care, her best friend was alone and an emotional wreck and Weiss needed to find her quickly. So intent is she on looking for Cinder, that she didn't notice a red and black blur coming at her until she finds herself swept up into a bridal carry, Zwei plunked into her lap, and quickly carried out of the school and towards the Forever Fall forest.

"What?! How dare you! Put me down this instant you savage brute!" Weiss squeals in indignation as she tries to free Myrtenaster while hanging onto the adorable corgi. But a familiar laugh stops her, and she looks up into a pair of silver eyes that are focused on the path ahead.

"Sorry about this Weiss! But if she went where I think she went, we need to find her and fast!" Rouvin answers her calmly as he continues to speed towards and into the forest. Weiss is too embarrassed to offer anymore resistance as they continued deeper into the woods. Sparing a glance, she sees how time itself seems to simply slow around them. She watches as a doe slowly helped a young fawn to its feet. She could easily see its legs trembling as it rises unsteadily with its mother's assistance. She continues to gaze out as fallen leaves move so slowly in their wake that they almost appeared undisturbed by their high speed passage. So in awe of this rare glimpse of Rouvin's semblance that she can't help but cuddle deeper into his arms as she holds onto a panting Zwei, not noticing the blush moving swiftly across his face even as they dive deeper into Forever Fall forest. Although the same thought comes unbidden to them both they carry on.

' _I could get used to this.'_

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Hey everyone, Winter here! So this week I want to thank two people for pointing some really big mistakes that I have been making! First is Cushiony Siren, who pointed out the fact that I need to be a bit more proactive with my editing! And second is WithOneVoice, who pointed out the fact that I have not been putting in line breaks very well. I am still learning how to do all of this, and I always appreciate constructive comments that help me out! Thanks for reading along and we hope to see everyone next week!


	5. Chapter 5

Rouvin Rose finally slides to a stop at fork in the trail he knows all too well from his own days in Beacon. Memories of taking the left hand path reminds him of all the times he would go to sit and cry in front of a rather beautiful waterfall located deeper in the forest. To the right was a path that would lead to the largest tree in the forest, where he and his partner would often camp and train on weekends and nights when their teammates and the resident bullies of the dorm were getting to be too much for either of them to handle.

Granted, Bob might still live there, but he wasn't a big problem.

Deciding that splitting up would be their best option, he tries to set Weiss down, only to hear the most adorable squeal of protest he would probably ever hear again in his life. Looking down, he saw that Weiss had a death grip on his hoodie with both hands, while she kept her legs locked around his right arm. Meanwhile, she has a blush on her face that almost matches his hoodie in shade and color, while she looks up at him with those ice blue eyes that looked like glaciers. He could get lost in those ice blue orbs forever, and might have if Zwei hadn't bitten him in the ankle to get his attention.

"Owie! Zwei quit biting me! Ouch! Seriously?!" Rouvin jumps around a bit as Zwei keeps chasing at his ankles, snapping and growling.

"That is quite enough Zwei. Allow Rouvin to put me down please." Weiss chimes in in her sweet melodic voice. To Rouvin's shock, Zwei simply sits down, whining at Weiss as if to hurry her along.

"What in the name of all the cookies on Remnant?! He doesn't even listen to me that well!" Rouvin carefully eases Weiss to the ground as the snow haired fencer just giggles.

"Zwei is simply a good boy isn't he? Oh yes he is! He listens to Cinder and I just fine, don't you? Oh yes you do!" Weiss gushes over the adorable corgi as Rouvin simply stands awestruck.

' _She….She really took over my dog! Her and her beautiful partner! Wait what?!'_

Weiss giggles as she stands back up straight. "So where are we?"

Shaking his head to clear the sudden strange thought, he looks thoughtful as he glances down each path. "This is the center point of the forest. To the left is a waterfall that I used to run to when I needed a break from school. To the right is a huge Everred tree that I used to go camping with with my old partner." He sighs as he looks back down at Weiss, who is looking up at him with interest. "Right now, this whole part of the forest should still be clear for a few more day. I heard some hotshot first year team cleared out a pretty good sized nest of Grimm not long ago." With a grin, he sees Weiss match it with one of her own.

"I may have heard something about that. So you intend for us to split up at this point?"

"Yup!" Rouvin can't help but pop the 'P'. "I'll take the waterfall. It's deeper in, and there might still be Grimm around. You and Zwei take the tree, that area should still be clear."

"Very well." Weiss agrees as she draws Myrtenaster. "What should we do if we are presented with a situation we cannot handle?"

Chuckling, Rouvin starts turning to head down the path, stopping long enough to look at Weiss once more. "Just tell Zwei to start howling. I'll hear him."

Weiss sighs. "I was thinking more along the lines of you being in danger Rouvin Rose!"

Rouvin smiles wider as his eyes lock onto Weiss's. "Weiss Schnee, if it's a Grimm too big for me to handle, then I would rather you take Zwei and run then try to help me. No sense in risking your life to try to save mine. Huntress in training or not, I won't risk your life on a futile battle. Not when you still have so much of your life left to live." With one last look, Rouvin activates his semblance and dashes off, leaving Weiss alone with Zwei as well as her swirling thoughts. With one last look to the left, she and Zwei both start walking towards the Everred tree he mentioned. But her thoughts are a jumbled mess to such an extent that she barely pays attention to her surroundings, especially to the pair of red eyes staring at the confused fencer through the trees.

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Rouvin approaches the waterfall cautiously. After a rather nasty incident his fourth year involving two female faunus in heat fighting over his partner, he is now extremely careful around emotional women. Especially emotional women that are already considered some of the best students since his own time there. Not only that, but he has already seen several trees along the path that look like they have been incinerated, along with several char spots that look like some very unlucky beowolves.

Creeping around a tree that has a scimitar buried almost to the hilt in it, as well as what looks like the charred outline of a creep, he finally spots Cinder sitting alone by the water's edge. Her face is buried in her hands and he can hear the body shaking sobs that were echoing off the nearby trees. ' _I need to get her calmed down. As badly as she feels right now, she's going to draw a hell of a lot of attention soon.'_ Clearing his throat to attract her attention, Rouvin almost shrieks himself when Cinder whirls herself up and around, her remaining sword pointing directly at him and instantly ablaze.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa! It's me Cinder! It's Rouvin!" Rouvin keeps his hands out and clearly visible to the distraught young woman. She glares at him for a moment before her face simply collapses back into a mask of pure abject misery. Tears begin to fall down her face as her remaining scimitar falls from her hand, extinguishing itself as it falls to the ground with a gentle thud.

"I didn't mean to Rouvin! I...I swear to Oum that I didn't mean to ruin her life like this! I just didn't want people to know! I just wanted to not be judged like I was at Sanctum!"

"Easy Cinder, why do you think you ruined her life?" Rouvin slowly edges closer nervously. He is way way way out of his comfort zone right now, and not a hundred percent certain what he needs to do next. "Weiss isn't going to blame you for anything. You're her best friend."

"For how long Rouvin?! It took her hours to get over the fact that I'm a Brandstelle! She didn't talk to me for days after she found out that I was gay! She's my best friend! She's the only person I've ever told almost all my secrets to! Even Emerald doesn't know me as well as she does! What do I do if she suffers for all this?!" Cinder's tears are falling in waves now as she screams at him. Rouvin winces as he gets just that little bit closer to her. "I just want to be normal! I want a normal life without constantly being judged for who or what I am! Especially because of what my great grandfather did! Especially for who I choose to love! And especially for what my father and I are!"

"Cinder, from everything I've seen and heard, Weiss adores you. She considers you her best friend, and for a Schnee, that's a huge thing. Trust me, I know her sister pretty well." Rouvin tries desperately to reassure the hysterical young woman, praying that she can't light him on fire without dust.

"How would you know?!" Cinder shrieks back at the huntsman. "What would the great Rouvin Rose know about being bullied and tormented most of his life?!"

Rouvin pauses at her words, wincing as if she has struck him in the heart. He knows all about being bullied and tormented. He lost count of all the times he would use his semblance to run to this very waterfall to cry himself to sleep, just to be carried back to the dorm room or the campsite by his partner. Letting his hands fall to his sides, his head hanging low as he mumbles something.

Cinder's tears slowly come to a stop. She knows that look of defeat all too well. She wore it almost her entire time at Sanctum Academy, even with what few friends she had barely managed to make while she was there. There had been her partner Reese Chloris. Reese has never once cared about her history or her heritage. She honestly thinks that her parents are really cool, and Reese is still one of her best friends even now. Then there are Emerald and Mercury. Emerald is the love of her life, but Mercury? He can be considered a friend by proxy at the best of times.

But now as she watches, the great Rouvin Rose looks almost defeated before her. Looking up, she almost gasps in shock as she sees his tears glistening in his own eyes. "I do know what it's like to be bullied. I know what it's like to be tormented and tortured and only having one person that I could turn to for help or comfort."

She watches in a sort of detached shock as he turns and walks over to a large boulder set by the water and slide down until he sat with his back to it. Picking up Ash, she slowly walks over to the tree where Char was still buried, wrenching it free after several half hearted tugs. Looking over to the boulder, she notices that he has slipped his wallet out of his pocket and was now staring at a rather old picture.

Walking over slowly, she slides down to join him, respecting the somber mien Rouvin seems to radiate. She keeps her gaze on the waterfall as he sits quietly staring at the picture. "Want to see proof that you aren't alone?" Before she can answer, he moves his hand over to reveal the old photo. Cinder couldn't help but stare at the picture Rouvin was showing her. In it, he was standing next to a young bull faunus, and they were both in…

"Are you and the bull faunus wearing combat skirts?!" Cinder can't help but smile. Here is proof that the great Rouvin Rose was bullied himself. But she can't help but think to herself that Rouvin looks simply adorable in a combat skirt. And how young is he in this picture?

"Yeah…. Adam and I got bullied a lot when we were in Beacon." Rouvin sighs as he settles down further next to Cinder, leaning comfortably against the boulder. "I was accepted two years early because I was this great fighting prodigy, and he was this tall, skinny bull faunus that could barely draw his sword fast enough to deflect even simple attacks. The called us the loser duo because even our own teammates didn't want anything to do with us."

"That's horrible!" Cinder gasps in shock. "Weiss, Yang and I defend Blake viciously if we need to! Especially after what Cardin did to her earlier in the year."

"I know. I heard from my mom after it happened. Family secret, mom and dad didn't do a thing to Yangarang while she was suspended. They were way too proud of her for standing up to a bully and defending her partner like she did." Rouvin chuckles at the recent memory before his eyes reflect an almost melancholy sadness. "But times were a lot different when I went to Beacon. Back then, all Adam and I could do was grit our teeth and show them that we earned our places here. So we trained on our own. We got as good as we possible could, and when Vytal came up during our second and fourth years, we blew every team out of the water. Adam always let me fight in the finals because he didn't want the attention it would bring. Attention I'm starting to regret."

"When you say Adam, are you talking about Adam Taurus? Blake's big brother?"

Rouvin's face lights up at the question. "Yup! He's been my best friend since initiation. It sucks that we barely goes on hunts together these days, but I can totally understand. He's busy with the White Fang and all. We still get together twice a year and catch up, which is totally awesome, but…." Cinder looks on as Rouvin's facial expression turns sad once more. "But I miss having at least one friend around who actually knows me, and not all the bullshit that they have been putting in all the magazines."

Cinder stays quiet for a few minutes as Rouvin simply stares out towards the waterfall, processing everything she has just been told. Even she is guilty of a little bit of hero worship when it comes to Rouvin Rose. But now, now she is starting to get a feel for the man behind the fame. He has trusted her with a painful set of memories. Dust, he doesn't even take pride in his Vytal festival victories! Cinder was slow to trust no thanks to all the moving she did as a child, along with the fact that her parents were also rather famous huntsmen themselves, along with her own various secrets. But as she looks at Rouvin, she feels like she can trust him. He revealed a piece of himself that he told no one to her, especially the vultures from the various magazines that loved to feature him in their pages. Taking a deep breath, she turns to look at Rouvin, a small half smile on her face.

"White roses. Weiss adores white roses as well as white lilies. And she isn't much for jewelry."

"Why did you run Cinder? You have friends that care for you, Weiss is worried sick about you. Heck, even Zwei is a bit worried. He and Weiss were scouring the school for you." Rouvin turns to look at Cinder, concern evident in his silver eyes.

Cinder blushes as she goes back to looking at the waterfall. ' _Dust! You really can get lost in those silver eyes of his!'_ "I didn't mean to make anyone worry. Just….There's certain things I don't want people to know about me Rouvin. Weiss only found about my orientation when she stumbled onto a conversation I was having with my partner." ' _And that isn't my biggest secret of all.'_

"Secrets always have a way of coming out Cinder. Sometimes at the worst possible moment." Rouvin chided her gently as he slowly stood back up. "Ask Yang sometime about keeping secrets." With a small smile, he holds a hand out to the young dust mage to help her up.

Before either of them could say another word, the calm silence in the woods was suddenly shattered by a distant shriek, followed by the howling of a canine.

"Oh dust that sounded like…."

"Weiss!" They both say in unison. Sweeping Cinder up into his arms, Rouvin activates his semblance and launches them both at his top speed, the forest a blur as they sped towards the howling. Both of them also praying silently to Oum that they weren't too late.

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Hey everyone! Winter here! Thank you all for your patience and I apologize for the delay! I hope that everyone enjoys this latest chapter, and Akiruo and I both can't wait to bring you the next half!


	6. The Huntsman Rouvin Rose

Weiss had seen the sign warning people to 'Beware of Bob' when she and the rest of team WCBY had been here before on their extermination mission, but she had given it little thought. But she had been here with her team before. Now it is just her and Zwei, and she is not on her A game as Yang would put it. She is far too worried about Cinder to give the sign any more thought.

' _Why does she keep hiding things? Why doesn't she trust us?'_ She thinks to herself as she steps into the clearing, Myrtenaster hanging loosely in her left hand. ' _Why doesn't she trust me?'_

Zwei's growling was the only warning she had right before the massive Boarbatusk charged them both. Throwing herself to the side, she sighs in irritation as she readies herself for battle.

"You must be Bob?" She asks as several glyphs spin into place both around her as well as one on the ground. "I simply do not have time for this! May we reschedule for a more appropriate time?" The Grimm's roar was a simple enough answer before it charged once more. But Weiss's first surprise came when she detonated the glyph, but instead of Bob being thrown air born, it simply knocked him back onto his back instead.

But Weiss is not a fool, and in the blink of an eye she dashes forward, Myrtenaster leading as she aims for the unarmored section. But her eyes widen in shock and fear as her rapier is suddenly stopped by a thick piece of armor that she wasn't expecting. To her horror, she watches as her beloved and trusted rapier's blade bends almost double before it shatters in two.

Her scream of pain can be heard throughout the woods as the broken half of Myrtenaster's blade rebounds off the Grimm and slams into her face, right over her left eye.

Falling to her knees as she supports herself on the hilt of her broken weapon, she holds her hand to her face as she tries to channel her aura to the wound to at least slow the bleeding. But her rage is ignited when she hears the Boarbatusk start to make an odd chuffing sound as it slowly circles around. To her shock and growing anger, she realizes the ancient Grimm is laughing at her. Struggling to her feet, she wipes her hand as clear as possible before raising her rapier's remains at the Grimm defiantly.

"Come along then, Bob. You shall not take me without a fight!" She readies herself for his next charge, doubting that help will come in time. She has no idea how far away the waterfall is, and even though Zwei has been howling since she was injured, neither Rouvin nor Cinder have yet to appear. But it is just as well. Rouvin is a far better person than her, and Cinder deserves a better friend and partner than her. Cinder especially deserves a lot better than her, a spoiled confused brat playing at being a huntress in the end.

Steeling herself as the Boarbatusk charges, she is too focused on it's bright red eyes to realize that she is suddenly and bodily picked up and moved out of the way of its charge. Looking up in surprise, she gazes up into a pair of silver eyes looking down at her with some concern.

"Are you ok Weiss? What happened to your face?!" Rouvin asks, concern obvious in his voice and face.

"Weiss!" Cinder calls out as she runs into the clearing, while Rouvin gently places her down. "Are you alright?" she asks as she slides to a stop.

"Yes, although I think I shall need a trip to a day spa after all this." Weiss replies flippantly, even as she winces from the pain in her face. But to her surprise, an uncharacteristic growl suddenly emerges from her partner as she turns the fencer's head gently.

"Wait here. No one and nothing harms my partner." She growls out as she turns to face the monstrous Grimm, a look of pure rage and hate in her burning amber eyes.

The Boarbatusk roars in response at them as it stomps the ground, more than prepared to attack them once more.

"Can't we talk about this Bob?" Rouvin calls out as he takes Crescent Rose off his back slowly. The Grimm's roar is even louder than the last as it lowers itself to prepare for a charge. "I guess not. You two stay back." Rouvin orders as he unfolds the scythe.

"Like hell I will! That bastard hurt my partner!" Cinder cries out as she stands in front of Weiss, Ash and Char held in her hands.

"That's an order, Huntress!" Rouvin glares at her just as the Boarbatusk charges. Moving to the side, he puts the scythe into a spin as the blade straightens itself into a war scythe. Just before the weapon strikes the Grimm, which has put itself into an armored ball to add force to it's next blow, his sweetheart is joined by a pair of scimitars, which combined are more than enough to send the Grimm flying into the side of the massive tree.

"I said I was helping!" Cinder glares at him as she growls, her semblance barely restrained in her rage.

"And I said to stay back! Take care of Weiss!" Rouvin glares back as he activates his own semblance, rose petals already beginning to swirl around him. "Let me deal with Bob."

Cinder is about to argue some more when she feels a cold hand upon her shoulder. "Cinder! Are your cartridges empty?" Weiss asks quickly as Rouvin dashes away, a trail of rose petals in his wake. With a brief nod of her head, she calms her aura enough to deactivate her dress as Weiss lets go of her and opens Myrtenaster's dust chamber with a quick click. Working quickly, she opens a hidden fold at the bottom of Cinder's uniform skirt, revealing four empty slots. Transferring her own fire, thunder, gravity and ice cartridges into the slots as Cinder tosses her jacket to the side, Weiss pats her partner on the shoulder. "Let's show that boarbatusk that he shouldn't have messed with the Princesses of Beacon!"

Cinder simply smiles as her uniform shirt is ripped apart from the sudden surge of dust running through her normal combat dress hidden underneath, the runes woven into the silk garment now glowing in several different colors. It's been some time since she was able to cut loose like this, and she was going to enjoy it. Combining ice with thunder first, she uses gravity to hold several electrified ice spikes in mid air while yelling out. "Break left!" With a flick of her wrist, she sent the projectiles sailing away and into the boarbatusk, which begins to roar in pain. Watching Rouvin carefully, she watches as he streaks in, his scythe cutting a deep furrow in the grimm's flank.

"Freezerburn redux!" Weiss calls out as she begins to summon several glyphs rising from the battlefield, the stress of doing so with Myrtenaster broken taking an obvious strain. Mixing fire and ice next, she sweeps her hands outward and to each side, releasing a thick mist on the field blocking everyone's vision. Everyone but Cinder. She could still sense where the beast was by the layer of dust now covering its hairy armored body, as well as the gravity dust rounds in Crescent Rose. Feeling Weiss begin to slump over, her eyes begin to brighten once more in anger as she feels Rouvin get clear.

"Detonator!" Weiss calls out, panting heavily as she struggles to maintain her glyphs in their predetermined spots. Channeling all the remaining lightning and fire dust in her cartridges, she creates a giant fireball in midair while Weiss yells out. "Rouvin, get ready!"

Throwing her hands forward, Cinder feels her remaining aura give out as the electrified fireball surges forward with a burst of speed from the remaining gravity dust, burning away any remaining fog as it flies towards the doomed boarbatusk. With a pain filled shriek, it flies high up into air amidst a massive explosion that shakes the very ground, knocking both young women off their feet. They both turn their heads upward just in time to watch a rapidly accelerating Rouvin dart from glyph to glyph, Crescent Rose held ready. With a massive swing, he cuts through the Grimm, both halves flying off in different directions.

"He certainly has style Princess Embers." Weiss states tiredly as all her glyphs vanish.

"Indeed he does Princess Snowflake." Cinder agrees, her eyes drooping tiredly as her dress goes dark.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" They watch as Rouvin plummets back down to the ground rapidly, all the while trying desperately to reload his sniper scythe.

"I hope he doesn't get hurt when he lands." Weiss mumbles sleepily, dragging Cinder down to the ground with her.

"Me too. Especially after rushing all the way here to find me, then coming to help you." Cinder allows her best friend to cuddle into her, too sleepy and comfortable for her usual protests.

"OWWWWWWWIIIIIIEEEEE!" Neither of them heard Rouvin crash land into a tall tree. Zwei trotted over slowly, turned several times, and finally settled down right above their heads, soon asleep himself.

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Alex and Katie walk calmly into the clearing surrounding the giant everfall tree, weapons held at the ready. What few Grimm they have encountered thus far have been no match for the experienced hunter team, and even now Alex is dragging a whimpering Alpha Beowolf behind him on a collar and leash made of thick heavy chains, one of his hand and a half swords settled lazily on his shoulder.

"We are absolutely not keeping that beast Alexander!" Katie looks at her husband of over twenty years as she sheathes her fiery red rapier ArcLighter.

"But he's cute! And look at how well behaved he already is!" Alex counters as the Grimm tries desperately to get away from the obviously crazed huntsman. "And I promised Terra a new pet!"

"Then get her a puppy Alex. Or a kitten! Not a Grimm! And especially not an Alpha Beowolf!"

"But she'll love it! And think of how protective it'll be around her once I get it trained!"

"Oh fine!" Katie can't help but smile as her mountain jumps for joy, the back of his duster swishing from side to side in excitement. "You and our daughter and your odd pets."

"Just admit it, you indulge my hobbies because it's easier than dealing with me when I'm bored." Alex counters as starts scanning the impromptu battlefield. "Over by the tree line to the north."

"I see them. Find Rouvin please. And yes, you are a monumental pain in my ass when you're bored. But I suppose that is part of your charm, you small mountain." Katie smiles as she walks towards the two sleeping young women.

"And here I thought it was my rugged good looks and winning personality!" Alex lifts his head skyward for a moment and takes a deep breath through his nose. "Huh, his scent is all over the place."

"Among other things you overly conceited mountain. Rouvin's semblance is speed, just like Summer's. More than likely he has gotten himself stuck somewhere. And I can still feel an extraordinarily large amount of dust in the air." Reaching Cinder and Weiss, she kneels down slightly as she gently flares her aura. "Just exhausted. They've expended all of their auras." Checking the two over, she sees Weiss's blood cover face as well as the deep cut running across her left eye. "Alex! Weiss is injured!"

"I ain't that surprised. Have you seen the crater over here? And just bandage her up for now. Lemme find Rouvin and then I'll evacuate her first." Alex calls out, the Alpha still in tow. "Sit." Had anyone else been present, they would have been shocked at how quickly the Grimm obeyed. "Stay." Reluctantly, the obviously terrified Grimm laid down, whimpering softly as the mountain of a man glared at it. Once he was satisfied that the Grimm wasn't about to run away, Alex fanned out his search, until he heard a groan coming from one of the nearby trees.

"Have you found him yet?" Katie calls out as the Alpha looks at her nervously. It sensed only amusement radiating from the short, red haired monster that had burned its entire pack to ashes in seconds. This particular Alpha had managed to survive for almost two centuries now, and it was no fool. These two were not prey to even attempt to claim. It begins to tremble as the woman with the sword of fire approached it, and all but yelped as she laid a gentle hand on its head, scratching behind one of its ears. "You shall make a fine guardian for my Terra, won't you? Or shall I tell you what happened to your predecessor?" The Alpha wasn't stupid. It was actually beginning to debate how bad life could really be as a pet and guardian.

"I found him! Dumbass got himself stuck in a tree!" He calls out as he starts shedding his duster. "Gonna have to climb up and get him loose."

"Do try to remember that you are a wolf faunus, and not a cat faunus dear. You aren't exactly the best at climbing trees." She calls back as she keeps petting the Alpha, who has begun to wag his tail in delight. "And you aren't exactly as young as you once were."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Don't overdo it. Got it." He starts grumbling as he swiftly climbs the everred tree. Reaching Rouvin, he sighs as he realizes that he has gotten himself stuck in a tangle of assorted branches. Pulling a tomahawk from the small of his back, he starts chopping at the branches, shaking Rouvin awake.

"Whoa! Holy cookies!" He cries out as he tries to free Crescent Rose from where it is stuck on a different branch.

"Don't move kid! Last thing I need is to cut off an arm or something." Alex grunts as he works on a particularly difficult branch.

"Hey wait, aren't you Alex Garibaldi?" Rouvin asks in awe, even as the tree begins to crack ominously.

"Yeah, guilty as charged. Think you can move your arm over just a little bit? I need to grab ahold of your scythe before I finish cutting this last branch off."

"Holy cookies!" Rouvin looks at the older huntsman in awe. "Can I have your autograph?"

Alex chuckles as he cuts the branch free, sending Rouvin tumbling to the ground in a heap. "Sure kid. Soon as I get my little girl and her partner out of here." With a grunt, he pulls Crescent Rose free from the tree, as well as cutting several more branches loose before tossing it to the ground, barely missing Rouvin. His tail wagging in his amusement, he swiftly climbs back down the tree and comes to stand next to Rouvin.

"You ok there kid?"

"I didn't know you were a faunus! Ha! Adam was right!" Rouvin crows as he starts pulling twigs and leaves from his hair.

"Well yeah. Oum knew I wasn't quite perfect when he made me, so he added some wolf to me before I came flying outta my momma."

"Alex! You are far from perfect! Now come and get our daughter and her partner out of here!" Katie huffs as the Alpha actually begins to growl a bit.

"Keep your panties on woman!" Alex growls back as he looks back to Rouvin. "You got yourself, kid? I need to get those two out of here before any more Grimm show up. With the biggest Grimm dead, there's about to be one hell of a power struggle to take his place."

"Yeah, I can get myself and your wife out of here. Dunno about the Alpha though." Rouvin stares nervously at the Beowolf, who is now panting and whining as Katie continues to pet him between his ears.

Alex chuckles as he throws his duster back on before striding off. "You ain't gotta worry bout my Burning Queen, Rouvin. She can handle herself just fine."

"Indeed." Katie smirks as she continues to pet the Alpha. "I have been slaying Grimm since before your mother had you Rouvin. But I would like your company all the same. I desire to have a private word with you."

"Oooookayyyyy?" Rouvin drawls out as his attention is focused on Alex who is gently lifting Weiss and Cinder up like a pair of sleeping children. More specifically, he is focused on the tail that suddenly slips free from the back of Cinder's skirt and hangs limply.

"Oh dear, her band must have broke. Please don't say anything Rouvin. She truly doesn't wish to be judged as a faunus as well as everything else."

Rouvin can only look on in wide eyed shock and nod as the girls as well as the massive wolf faunus suddenly vanish in front of him. Turning to look at Katie, who is bidding the Alpha to shoulder it's own chain so they can depart, his mind suddenly snaps back into reality.

"Cinder's a faunus?!"

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Hey everyone! Winter here with a new chapter of this amazing story! I am so sorry for the delay, and I wish to assure everyone that this story is far from done. I have just had a bit of writer's block when it comes to this one for a while now, and have finally conquered it! So please enjoy!


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